In a declaration issued Tuesday, the Congolese government said it “welcomes the decision by the U.S. Treasury Department to sanction the Rwandan Defence Forces and several of their leaders for their involvement alongside the M23 on Congolese territory.”

“These measures send a strong signal in support of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC,” the statement read, adding that Kinshasa “remains fully committed to lasting peace in the Great Lakes region.”

The sanctions, announced Monday by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, target the RDF and four senior commanders over alleged support to the M23 rebel movement. Washington accuses Rwanda’s military leadership of providing operational backing to the armed group, which has been blamed for renewed fighting, civilian deaths and mass displacement in eastern Congo.

Under the measures, any property or financial interests belonging to the RDF or the designated officers within U.S. jurisdiction are frozen, and U.S. persons are barred from engaging in transactions with them.

The announcement comes just days after U.S.-brokered talks in Washington between Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, which resulted in the signing of the “Washington Accords,” a peace initiative aimed at de-escalating tensions in the conflict-scarred eastern region.

While Rwanda has rejected the sanctions as “unjust” and accused Washington of misrepresenting the conflict, Kinshasa sees the move as overdue recognition of what it calls external interference on its soil.

Congolese Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner took to X (formerly Twitter) to express gratitude to the United States, framing the decision as both political and moral.

“This decision taken by President Donald J. Trump and his administration marks a turning point: a word given cannot be perpetually broken, and the brazen contempt for human lives cannot endure,” she wrote.

She linked the sanctions to the suffering endured by civilians, particularly women, in eastern Congo.

“At the beginning of Women’s Rights Month, I am thinking first and foremost of Congolese women, who have for too long been at the heart of this cycle of violence,” she added.

For years, eastern Congo has endured repeated waves of fighting involving armed groups, government forces and regional actors, leaving communities displaced and vulnerable. Human rights groups have documented widespread abuses, including killings and sexual violence, with women and children often bearing the brunt.

Rwanda maintains that it faces security threats from armed groups operating inside Congo and insists it remains committed to implementing the Washington peace framework.