'There needs to be a start to the withdrawal of Rwandan troops,' says the Congolese foreign minister

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), during a meeting with her Rwandan counterpart, Olivier Nduhungirehe, and US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, June 27, 2025. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP

In an interview with Le Monde, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), praised the decision by the US Treasury on Monday, March 2, to impose sanctions on the Rwandan army for its intervention in the East of the DRC alongside the paramilitaries of the March 23 Movement (M23). She calls on the European Union to follow the American example.

What is your reaction to the announcement of US Treasury sanctions?

We welcome this decision by the Trump administration. The peace agreement signed on December 4, 2025, in Washington was immediately violated. Yet, to bring an end to this crisis, which has lasted for 30 years, it is essential that all stakeholders – including the DRC – be held accountable for any violation of the agreement to which they have committed. The US sanctions have a broad impact, but are also very targeted. They strike at the heart of support for the M23 and target the masterminds responsible for the suffering endured by hundreds of thousands of Congolese people.