US issues sanctions on rebel group alliance over conflict in DRC

By Daphne Psaledakis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday will impose sanctions on a coalition of rebel groups it accused of seeking to overthrow the Democratic Republic of Congo's government and fuelling conflict, according to a statement seen by Reuters.

The sanctions, first reported by Reuters, target the Congo River Alliance (AFC), which the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement was a political-military coalition launched in December. It said the principal member of the alliance was the M23 movement, which is already under U.S. sanctions.

Congo's army has been fighting the M23 insurgency for more than two years, as well as battling other militias in its eastern borderlands.

Congo, the United Nations and Western countries have repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23 with its own troops and weapons, which it denies.

Rwanda accuses Congo of financing and fighting alongside a Hutu rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which has attacked Tutsis in both countries.

The fighting in North Kivu province has driven more than 1.7 million people from their homes, taking the total number of Congolese displaced by multiple conflicts to a record 7.2 million, according to U.N. estimates.

"Today’s action reinforces our commitment to hold accountable those who seek to perpetuate instability, violence, and harm to civilians to achieve their political goals," Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in the statement.

"We condemn AFC and its affiliates, including M23, for fueling this deadly conflict and exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC."

Washington also imposed sanctions on Corneille Nangaa, a former Congo election commission chief accused of undermining of elections in the country, whom Washington originally targeted with sanctions in 2019.

The Treasury on Thursday said Nangaa was being hit with sanctions again for acting as a leader of the Congo River Alliance, which it said he launched alongside the leaders of M23.

M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa was also hit with sanctions in the action that freezes any U.S. assets of those targeted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.

Twirwaneho, an armed group in South Kivu province that is a member of the alliance and collaborates with M23 was also targeted, as was a commander and deputy military leader of the group.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis; Additional reporting by Aaron Ross in Nairobi)