US announces visa restrictions for senior Rwandan officials

The Department of State announced a visa restriction policy targeting several senior Rwandan officials for what it said was their role in fueling instability in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to the statement, the officials are being targeted for continuing to support M23 and for violating the Washington Accords. The department said those actions are driving violence and undermining stability across the Great Lakes region.

The statement said the United States expects all parties to the Washington Accords to implement their commitments fully. It said this includes the Democratic Republic of the Congo immediately neutralizing the FDLR armed group and associated groups, and Rwanda withdrawing its troops and military equipment from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The policy applies to 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, according to the statement.

The visa restrictions are being imposed under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the secretary of state to deem inadmissible any alien whose entry to the United States would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States. Certain family members may also be covered.