U.S. Treasury Sanctions James Kabarebe for Destabilizing the DRC

Washington, D.C. – February 20, 2025 In a long-overdue move, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed targeted sanctions on James Kabarebe, Rwanda’s Minister of State for Regional Integration.

Kabarebe, a long-time architect of Rwanda’s expansionist military strategy, has played a central role in supporting the notorious M23 rebel group that has terrorized the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The sanctions mark a significant setback for Rwanda’s military ambitions and its plundering of Congolese mineral wealth, further isolating the Kagame regime on the global stage.

For years, Rwanda, under President Paul Kagame, has funded and armed M23, an internationally recognized terrorist organization responsible for unspeakable atrocities in the DRC.

Kabarebe has been instrumental in orchestrating RDF’s direct involvement in this illegal warfare, aiding M23’s territorial expansion and exploitation of Congo’s rich mineral resources.

The recent offensive, which saw M23 and RDF forces seizing Goma and Bukavu, killing thousands, and displacing millions, has only reinforced Rwanda’s role as a rogue state in the region.

With these new sanctions, the United States has taken decisive action to hold Rwanda accountable for its aggression. The restrictions will cut off Kabarebe and his associates from financial networks, curbing RDF’s ability to finance M23’s military operations and illegally smuggle Congolese minerals through Rwanda.

James Kabarebe: A Fall from Power

James Kabarebe, once a feared military strategist, now finds himself trapped under crippling U.S. sanctions. As a result:

• His U.S. assets are frozen, meaning any property or financial assets within U.S. jurisdiction are now inaccessible.

• He is banned from conducting business with U.S. entities, severely limiting his ability to finance Rwanda’s regional destabilization efforts.

• Any foreign companies engaging with him risk secondary sanctions, isolating him from global financial networks.

• His ability to facilitate mineral exports from the DRC is now restricted, striking a major blow to Rwanda’s illegal mineral trade.

  
  

These sanctions effectively cut Kabarebe off from international banking and commerce, crippling his ability to continue orchestrating military operations and funding rebel groups. For a man who has operated with impunity for decades, this is a humiliating blow.

This action also serves as a warning to other regional actors who have fueled instability in the Great Lakes region. The DRC, long a victim of external aggression, is now receiving long-overdue international support in its fight against foreign-backed rebel groups. read Press release from U.S. Treasury