Rwandan Army Slapped the United States on the Sanctions Imposed on Kigali

Rwandan army has taken a good swipe at the United States' sanctions for the use of child soldiers by rebels it is accused of supporting in Democratic Republic of Congo, saying it had no factual basis. "It is surprising that Rwanda would be liable for matters that are neither on its territory nor in its practices," army spokesperson Joseph Nzabamwita said in a statement, adding that the "decision to include Rwanda among states that use child soldiers is not based on evidence or facts".

This is not the first time Rwanda is showing that it cannot be tossed around by anybody. When Britain stated that it would withdraw aid from the East African nation over the same allegation of supporting the M23 rebels, President Paul Kagame minced no word is putting Britain in its proper and deserved place by telling it to keep its aid. He went further to say that Africa has come of age and should not complain of been controlled by the imperialists. The audacity of Kagame stems from the fact he has led Rwanda to become prosperous after the colossal Rwandan genocide of 1994.

The United Nations also accuses Rwanda of backing the M23, a charge the country has rigorously adamantly denied. Various human rights groups not excluding the UN rights body have also accused the M23 rebels of committing serious atrocities; including rape and murder, in addition to the use of child soldiers, in a conflict that has caused tens of thousands of refugees to flee.

The United States, due to all these allegations, slammed sanctions on Rwanda centrally over the use of child soldiers by the rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that the United States was invoking the 2008 Child Soldiers Protection Act in sanctioning Rwanda, as Washington seeks to end "any involvement in the recruitment of child soldiers".

The sanctions were linked to actions by the M23. Thomas-Greenfield said the US will continue to have discussions with the Rwandan government on the issue. The sanctions terminate financial and military assistance for the fiscal year 2014, which began on 1 October. The sanctions will end all international military education and training in financial year 2014.