President Paul Kagame has admitted that the sanctions imposed by the US government over Rwanda’s support of the M23 rebel movement in eastern Congo “hurt”, but he remains defiant.

At the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali on Thursday, the Rwandan leader lampooned Western powers for imposing sanctions on Kigali and a section of its leaders, saying the measures are not justifiable and reflect biases that point to the West, and especially the US, leaning towards countries whose extractives sector it is keen to benefit from.

"I have never capitulated, even in the worst situation. This isn’t a bad situation as such, but yes, it hurts, that’s for sure – and that’s the intended goal. Sanctions and other measures are designed to hurt. So, in a certain way, we are suffering. But I think we would suffer more if we didn’t do what we’re doing. In reality, saying yes to the wrong thing costs even more. So here we are,” he said.

The US announced sanctions against the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and four senior officers over what it termed as direct operational support to the M23 rebel movement and its affiliates in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

President Kagame is, however, pushing back, accusing the US of acting unfairly and abusing its global power in imposing the sanctions.

“It’s a situation where the powers that be are holding a whip in their hands and beating up whoever they want to beat up. They are no longer even hiding it; it’s now just in the open. Like in the situation that we have in the region of Congo, are the sanctions justified? Sometimes sanctions are just applied in a case of one who provides less than the other, and so sanctions go in favour of the highest bidder,” the Rwandan leader said.

In imposing the sanctions, the Trump administration cited a violation of the Washington Accords of Peace and Prosperity signed by Presidents Felix Tshisekedi and Kagame on December 4, 2025. The signing was overseen by President Donald Trump and was a build-up from the June 7, 2025, peace agreement signed by the two countries in Washington DC.

The peace agreement stipulates respect for the territorial integrity of both DRC and Rwanda, peaceful resolution of disputes, prohibition of hostile acts, prohibition of support for armed groups,s and protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel.
US sanctions against RDF appear to be biting after the RDF-affiliated basketball team, Patriotic Army of Rwanda (APR), pulled out of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) this month.

BAL is operated as a joint venture between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and is the NBA’s first league investment outside North America.
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US sanctions on Rwanda’s military begin to bite
President Kagame says that the sanctions imposed on his country are laced with hidden motives targeting the region’s rich extractives sector.

“These powers you see coming here and lecturing people on democracy and human rights, they do that with one arm while the other arm is just taking away everything that people own, and this is what is critical. When somebody knows that they will extract more from a certain place, they will be more favourable to that place, even if they are the ones on the wrong side. There is a lot of cynicism in this, and that is happening today here,” President Kagame said.

Rwanda has long rejected allegations by Congo, the United Nations, and Western powers that it supports the AFC/M23 rebel group, which staged a lightning offensive last year and now holds more territory in eastern DRC than ever before.

The US Treasury Department says the rebels’ gains would have been impossible without Rwanda's support.