Government Spokesperson Yolande Makolo has said that US sanctions on Rwanda over alleged violation of Washington Accords will encourage DR Congo in pursuing its military campaign. ALSO READ: Govt backs RDF defensive posture amidst ‘one-sided’ sanctions by US Responding to Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner's reaction to the sanctions announced on Monday, March 2, Makolo said DR Congo's still has a responsibility to end its collaboration with the FDLR, a terrorist groups founded by remnants of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The Government of the DRC remains the Number 1 backer of FDLR, which is an existential threat to Rwanda, Makolo wrote in a Tuesday post on X. No matter how many lies and resources are invested into propaganda to distract from DRC state sponsorship of the FDLR, this problem is not going away. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s problem with Congo is FDLR, says Kagame She also condemned the US sanctions on Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and four of its senior officers. One-sided sanctions unfortunately only serve to embolden the Government of the DRC in its insistence on a military solution. The result is what we see now: prolongation of the conflict, escalation of violence, lost opportunities and importantly, lost lives, Makolo said. Under the Washington Accords signed in December 2025, DR Congo committed to neutralisation of the FDLR, which would be followed by Rwanda's drawdown of its defensive measures. The Rwandan government noted that the genocidal militia remains integrated into the Kinshasa coalition fighting the AFC/M23. The US accused Rwanda of violating the agreement and supporting the AFC/M23 movement. Makolo noted that rebel movement had a cause to fight, which resulted from DR Congo's internal issues, such as persecution of the Tutsi communities. Also not going away is the internal situation in the DRC: the AFC/M23 is fighting persecution based on the policies of the Government of DRC that support proponents of genocide ideology (the recent inflammatory rhetoric by FARDC General Ekenge on national TV is one of too many examples) - this is the root of the extremist ethnic violence which threatens our whole region, the government spokesperson noted. These facts cannot be distorted or overlooked in the search for a solution to the crisis, Makolo argued. The way forward to lasting peace and progress is already laid out in agreements reached in the past year, including the comprehensive Washington Accords, but the DRC appears more interested in continued war than in implementing its obligations in the peace processes. Rwanda said on Monday that by unjustly targeting only one party to the peace process [the US sanctions] misrepresent the reality and distort the facts of the conflict in eastern DR Congo. “Protecting our country is a badge of honour which the Rwanda Defence Force carries very proudly,” the government said in a statement.
