Exclusive: US threatens to impose sanctions on Congolese and Rwandan leaders due to the conflict

The U.S. has warned that it might impose sanctions on officials from Rwanda and Congo before a meeting focused on the rising conflict in eastern Congo, as noted in a formal message reported by Reuters on Friday.

Kinshasa and Kigali are accusing each other for the new unrest in eastern Congo. Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have taken control of the regional city, Goma, and are moving into more areas.

On Friday, Washington sent a formal note to Kenya, which leads the East African Community and has helped with the crisis. The note said that for the region to be stable, the Rwandan military needs to pull out its troops and advanced weapons from Congo.

“We will think about imposing penalties on those who do not cooperate, including military and government officials from both sides,” the note said.

A crucial meeting of leaders from Eastern and Southern Africa is starting on Friday in Tanzania.

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame might be there. Congo, the United Nations, and other Western countries have accused Kagame of helping and backing rebels.

Rwanda has always rejected these claims.

In July, the U.S. Treasury Department placed sanctions on the Congo River Alliance, a group of rebel factions that includes M23.

After capturing Goma, the biggest city in eastern Congo last week, M23 took control of another mining town on Wednesday as they moved towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, breaking a truce they had announced.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated on Wednesday that at least 2,800 people had died in the recent fighting in Goma.

U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said at a special meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday that he believes sexual violence in the area, including rape and sexual slavery, will rise.