Description: The US Treasury Department has announced sanctions on the Rwandan military due to its support of the M23 rebel group and subverting the peace negotiations with the DR Congo. Rwanda criticized the US sanctions and stated that its military never supported the M23 rebels as opposed to the US designation. DR Congo responded positively to the sanctions, claiming that the US respects the country’s ambitions for territorial integrity and stable security status. Rwanda, the DR Congo and the US signed a peace agreement in Dec which supposed to bring millions in investments across the mining sector in the African countries, however, the security state and imbalanced regional instability have made those efforts impossible. M23 rebels the same day claimed responsibility for an airstrike on Congo’s Kisangani airport, stating that the airport was used by Congolese defense forces for launching attacks against the group.
Impact: The US sanctions represent a sterilized and indirect approach and could place the US mediatory position under scrutiny while indirectly facilitating escalation of violence in the country. The sanctions, by endangering the mediation efforts to repair the peace agreement, could create diplomatic distancing between the DR Congo and Rwanda which automatically results in the creation of a power vacuum on the ground. This power vacuum has been repeatedly exploited in the past year by the IS – affiliated terrorist group, Allied Democratic Forces, which have perpetrated several high casualty attacks in the eastern parts of the DR Congo. The conflict is expected to continue without a more hands – on approach from the US and without the presence of peacekeeping troops on the ground. The sanctions represent an indirect pressure tool which has so far proven to be ineffective.