Rwanda Sanctions 25 Individuals Linked to Terrorism and Terror Financing
The Government of Rwanda has imposed sanctions on 25 individuals accused of engaging in, or providing support to, terrorist activities, according to a new sanctions list released by the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC).
The individuals are alleged to have ties with various armed and terrorist organizations, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), the Rwanda National Congress (RNC), the MRCD/FLN, and other militant groups operating mainly in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
At the top of the list is Lt. Gen. Gaston Iyamuremye, also known as Victor Byiringiro Rumuri, who serves as the President of the FDLR — a Rwandan rebel group based in the DRC and historically linked to the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Now 76 years old and originally from Rwanda’s Musanze District, Iyamuremye is believed to reside in Walikale, North Kivu Province, DRC. He has already been sanctioned by both the United Nations Security Council and the U.S. government for his role in coordinating FDLR’s terrorist operations, including cross-border attacks on Rwanda, illegal taxation, and the looting of natural resources to fund rebel activities.
The FIC said that all 25 individuals listed will face asset freezes, travel bans, and restrictions on financial transactions within Rwanda. The move, it added, is part of ongoing efforts to cut off funding sources for terrorist networks that destabilize the Great Lakes region.
According to the statement, Rwanda’s sanctions regime aligns with international counterterrorism standards and will continue to target individuals and entities involved in financing or facilitating acts of terrorism.
“Rwanda remains committed to ensuring that no individual or organization uses its financial system to support terrorism,” the FIC statement read.
