Overview
- Kabila, targeted by Treasury and State on Thursday, now has any assets under U.S. jurisdiction frozen and is cut off from transactions through the U.S. financial system.
- U.S. officials say he has been in Goma and funded M23’s political arm and the Congo River Alliance while urging Congolese troops to defect and attack their own forces.
- The action is tied to the Washington Accords, a U.S.-mediated pact signed in December 2025, and follows March sanctions on Rwanda’s military over alleged violations.
- Kinshasa welcomed the step and pointed to Kabila’s 2025 death sentence in absentia on treason, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
- Rwanda denies backing M23, even as the conflict in eastern Congo has killed thousands and forced mass displacement, according to U.S. statements summarized by RFI.