US senator targets African armed groups for terror designation
The move by Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is part of a package of amendments to Washington's 2026 National Defense Authorization Act introduced to Congress earlier this month. Framed as a realignment of US policy toward Africa, the proposals also call for a presidential review of Kenya's status as a Major Non-NATO Ally to assess whether Nairobi's policies align with US national security objectives, amid its alleged deepening ties with China and Russia.
The proposals require the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney General, to assess whether the M23 and RSF meet the criteria for designation as terrorist groups under US law.
'Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a classified report containing the results of the assessment,' Risch stated.
The M23, locked in longstanding fighting with the Congolese government in DR Congo's mineral-rich east, escalated its campaign earlier this year by seizing key towns in North Kivu. The group has been accused by Kinshasa and UN investigators of mass killings, sexual violence, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands, and is alleged to receive backing from Rwanda — a claim Kigali denies.
The RSF has been locked in a brutal civil war with the Sudanese Armed Forces since mid-April 2023, marked by reports of large-scale atrocities, ethnic cleansing, and widespread abuses against civilians. Last month, a political coalition aligned with the paramilitary force announced a parallel government, a move denounced by the African Union and several international organizations as likely to deepen Sudan's crisis.
Washington has previously sanctioned leaders and affiliates of both groups for human rights abuses and destabilizing activities.
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