The designations are explicitly tied to the Washington Agreements signed on December 4, 2025, which were meant to end decades of bloodshed. Washington renewed calls for Congolese authorities to dismantle the FDLR and affiliated armed groups, and for Rwanda to withdraw its forces from eastern Congo and cease all support for the M23. Kigali has consistently denied backing the rebels, despite allegations by the United Nations and Western governments.

Fighting has continued to flare since the deal was signed. Days after the ceremony, M23 fighters entered the strategic city of Uvira near the Burundian border, before withdrawing under international pressure. That incursion underscored how quickly commitments on paper can collapse without concrete action on the ground. Washington’s latest measures aim to send a clear message that diplomatic agreements must be matched by concrete actions on the ground if lasting peace is to be achieved in eastern Congo.