US Sanctions Former DR Congo President Kabila
The Spin
Pro-government narrative
Kabila bankrolled rebels, encouraged DRC soldiers to defect and join M23, and returned to Goma with the explicit intent to topple the government — the Treasury Department's sanctions are a direct and necessary response. The Washington Accords exist to bring lasting peace to eastern Congo, and anyone undermining that deal faces real consequences. Letting a former president fund armed groups that have killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions is not something the U.S. will ignore.
Government-critical narrative
Sanctioning Kabila is a political hit job dressed up as diplomacy — the former president is living in Goma, his own home, and calling for peace while Kinshasa wages aerial warfare on civilians. The real destabilization stems from Tshisekedi's governance failures and unconstitutional power grabs, which have deepened political fracture rather than contained it. Kabila holding the only copy of the 2019 power-sharing accord underscores how hollow this government's claims to legitimacy have become.