US sanctions military leaders accused of making violence worse in eastern Congo

By ZANE IRWIN
Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Six individuals face new United States sanctions for human rights abuses in northeast Congo. The U.S. Treasury Department announced Thursday that leaders of the Congolese and Rwandan armed forces, as well as rebel leaders, will be blocked from doing business with U.S. companies. The press release accused the individuals of being complicit in worsening instability along Congo’s eastern border with Rwanda. Rival rebel groups M23 and Democratic Forces For The Liberation Of Rwanda (FLDR) are just two of over 120 armed groups in the region attacking civilians as they fight for land, resources, and self-defense.