U.S. Sanctions Joseph Kabila Over Alleged Ties to M23

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added former Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila to its specially designated nationals list under the DR Congo sanctions program on April 30, 2026. The designation blocks U.S. jurisdiction and bars transactions with American entities.

According to the U.S. government, Kabila has links to the AFC/M23 rebel movement operating in eastern DR Congo and served as a leader of the M23-allied Congo River Alliance. No publicly released evidence documenting the specific allegations against Kabila was detailed in the announcement.

Kabila dismissed the U.S. accusations against him as politically motivated. ” Signatories include Andre Claudel Lubaya, Franck Diongo, Jean-Claude Vuemba, Raymond Tshibanda, Augustin Matata Ponyo, Tharcisse Loseke, Floryd Mbakata, Filia Tshipasa, Albert Mukulubundu and Bienvenu Matumo.

The Washington peace agreement focuses on tensions between Kinshasa and Kigali and centers on the neutralisation of the FDLR. The Doha peace process, facilitated by Qatar, seeks to address the internal drivers of the conflict through direct talks between the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 movement.

The DRC government concluded peace and economic agreements with the United States last December that gave Washington preferential access to the DRC’s vast mineral resources. An Orion Critical Mineral Consortium will sign a memorandum of understanding worth $9 billion to acquire a 40% stake in Congolese mines owned by the Anglo-Swiss firm Glencore.

Virtus Minerals acquired the Congolese group Chemaf for $700 million.

The DRC holds more than half of global cobalt reserves. Chinese companies have stakes in 15 of the DRC’s largest copper and cobalt mines, including Tenke Fungurume, the world’s largest cobalt mine. Under a 2007 minerals-for-infrastructure agreement, Chinese firms secured rights to mineral deposits valued at approximately $93 billion in exchange for $3 billion in infrastructure commitment.

In March, Congo’s Minister of Mines Louis Watum traveled to Beijing, where the two sides signed a new mining cooperation agreement. The Congolese army launched a renewed offensive in late February during which M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma was killed. In late 2024, President Felix Tshisekedi raised the possibility of amending the 2006 constitution ahead of the expiration of his mandate in 2028.