The United States imposed sanctions on former Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila on Thursday, accusing him of supporting Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and fuelling political instability in the country’s troubled east.
The U.S. Treasury Department said M23 and its political-military arm, the Congo River Alliance (AFC), had been stoking violent conflict in eastern DRC, resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians and a mass displacement crisis.
Treasury said Kabila had provided financial support to the AFC in order to influence the political situation in eastern DRC, while encouraging DRC troops to defect and join AFC forces.
It said Kabila was working to regain influence over the government by backing a candidate opposed to the current leader.
DRC Deputy Prime Minister Jacquemain Shabani welcomed what he called a long-delayed U.S. move against Kabila.
"He is the instigator, the initiator, the architect of the destabilisation of Congo," Shabani said. "Mr. Kabila is among those who make achieving peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo difficult and complicated."
Treasury's move to sanction Kabila is part of a broader push to maintain a U.S.-brokered peace deal signed by Rwanda and DRC in Washington in December, which fell apart shortly after it was signed.
Representatives from both countries met in Washington again last month and agreed to take steps to de-escalate tensions and revive the stalled peace process.
Treasury also imposed sanctions last month on the Rwanda Defence Force and top military officials over their role in ongoing fighting in eastern DRC and called for their immediate withdrawal from the mineral-rich region.
"President Trump is paving the way for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and he has been clear that those who continue to sow instability will be held accountable," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott called on all regional leaders to reject those who perpetuated violence.
"Today's action sends a clear message: We will hold accountable anyone who obstructs peace efforts in the DRC," he said.
Rwanda has long rejected allegations from DR Congo, the United Nations and Western powers that it supports the AFC/M23 rebel group, which staged a lightning offensive last year and now holds more territory in eastern DRC than ever before.
Last year, Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia in a military court in Kinshasa for war crimes, treason, and crimes against humanity. The case stemmed from his alleged role in backing the rebels.
Kabila has denied wrongdoing and said the judiciary has been politicised.
Kabila spent almost two decades in power and only stepped down after deadly protests against him. Since late 2023, he has been residing mostly in South Africa, though he appeared in rebel-held Goma in eastern Congo in May.
The U.S. sanctions, imposed by Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, will freeze any assets held by Kabila in the U.S. and ban all transactions within the U.S. financial system.
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