Rwanda — De Facto Map

Rwanda — Sovereign state · East Africa · Backs M23 in the DR Congo.

The Republic of Rwanda: about 14 million people in the hills east of Lake Kivu, governed by Paul Kagame's Rwandan Patriotic Front since the end of the 1994 genocide. UN reporting records its army fighting beside M23 in the eastern DR Congo, including in the offensive that took Uvira in December 2025, and the United States sanctioned the Rwanda Defence Force and four of its commanders in 2026. Rwanda denies directing the group, signed the Washington Accords with the DR Congo in December 2025, and has taken back thousands of refugees and former FDLR fighters from the Congo this year. Selecting Rwanda shows the ground M23 holds.