Armed group leaders in eastern Congo targeted by OFAC

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2026 — The U.S. State Department said Tuesday that Washington is sanctioning armed group leaders in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the latest U.S. move targeting actors blamed for instability in the country’s conflict-hit east.

The announcement fits a wider U.S. policy line that has intensified since early 2025 and 2026, when Washington separately sanctioned actors linked to violence, human rights abuses and support for the March 23 Movement, or M23, in eastern Congo, and imposed visa restrictions on senior Rwandan officials accused of fueling instability.

In recent statements, the State Department has framed these measures as part of an effort to raise costs on those undermining peace and profiting from conflict in the Great Lakes region, including through armed activity and illicit mineral networks.

The latest action signals that the United States is continuing to use sanctions as a central tool in its response to eastern Congo’s security crisis, with pressure aimed not only at armed group leaders but also at the wider networks that sustain the conflict.