The Donald Trump administration, through the Department of State, has announced more sanctions against Senior Rwandan government officials. The Department of State, led by Secretary Marco Rubio, has imposed visa restrictions on the senior government officials.
Washington accuses these senior Rwandan government officials of “fueling instability” in DR Congo, supporting M23 rebels and breaching the Washington Accords, according to a statement by secretary Rubio.
“The Department of State will impose visa restrictions on several senior Rwandan officials for fueling instability in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),” the secretary of state said in a statement.
“By continuing to support M23 and violating the Washington Accords, these individuals are driving violence and undermining the stability of the entire Great Lakes Region.”
Rubio was also clear on Washington’s expectations and the consequences to be suffered by those accused of “undermining or impeding a sustainable peace in the Great Lakes region.”
“The United States expects all parties to the Washington Accords to fully implement their commitments, including by the DRC immediately neutralizing the FDLR armed group and its associated groups and Rwanda withdrawing its troops and military equipment from the DRC,” Rubio further noted.
“Only then will the immense economic potential of the Great Lakes region be realized. Individuals believed to be responsible for, complicit in, or directly or indirectly engaged in undermining or impeding a sustainable peace in the Great Lakes region will face consequences.”
Tommy Piggot, the Principal Deputy Spokesperson in the State Department, emphasized Rubio’s statement, “We expect all parties to uphold the Washington Accords and those who do not will face consequences.”
The secretary of state further warned that “certain family members may also be covered by these restrictions.”
“This visa restriction policy is pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which authorizes the Secretary of State to render inadmissible any alien whose entry into the Unites States “would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States,” he explained.
The visa restrictions against senior Rwandan government officials come days after the Trump Administration issued sanctions against the Rwandan army and senior military officials. President Paul Kagame’s government has reacted to the sanctions. (See Details Here and There).
President Kagame has previously warned DR Congo’s president Tshisekedi that he will destroy himself and his country if he dares attacks Rwanda. Kagame also spat fire in a meeting of presidents who had convened for talks. (See Details Here and There).
