Rwanda has announced sanctions against twenty-five individuals accused of coordinating or financing terrorism targeting the country.
The new sanctions list, released on October 14, 2025, by the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) and approved by the National Counter Terrorism Committee (NCTC), spans suspects based in Africa, Europe, and North America.
The move marks Rwanda’s most comprehensive domestic designation yet, mapping an intricate global web of anti-state militancy and the financial networks sustaining it.
Those listed are linked to groups such as the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR), Rwanda National Congress (RNC), Conseil National pour le Renouveau et la Démocratie–Forces de Libération Nationale (CNRD–FLN), and Rally for Unity and Democracy (RUD)-Urunana.
All twenty-five individuals now face asset freezes, travel bans, and legal restrictions under the Prime Minister’s Order No. 001/03 of January 22, 2025. The government describes the move as a preventive measure to dismantle the transnational financing and organization of terror.
Lt. Gen. Gaston Iyamuremye (alias Victor Byiringiro or Rumuri)
Born in Musanze district in 1949, Lt. Gen. Gaston Iyamuremye serves as the president of the FDLR, a militia rooted in eastern DR Congo and linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
He has long been sanctioned by both the UN Security Council and the United States for directing attacks and plundering natural resources to sustain terrorism.
Rwandan authorities accuse him of masterminding the FDLR’s operational and financial structures, coordinating illegal taxation, and ordering incursions into Rwandan territory.
Maj. Gen. Pacifique Ntawunguka (alias Omega)
Commander of the FDLR’s armed wing, FOCA, Maj. Gen. Pacifique Ntawunguka operates from the dense forests of eastern Congo. He is regarded as one of the key figures maintaining the FDLR’s military capabilities and ideological continuity.
Born in Ngororero district in 1964, he is cited for overseeing FDLR combat activities and sustaining the group’s illicit financing systems through mineral exploitation.
Col. Sylvestre Sebahinzi (alias Zinga Zinga ZZ)
A nephew of former president Juvénal Habyarimana, Col. Sylvestre Sebahinzi was born in 1961 in Nyabihu district and is currently based in Lusaka, Zambia.
He has been accused of raising funds for the FDLR across Southern Africa and of commanding attacks during his time as a sector commander between 2006 and 2009.
Reports allege that he presided over the FDLR’s “Kangaroo courts,” which executed civilians in eastern Congo, making him a central player in both the group’s military and propaganda machinery.
Maj. Alphonse Munyarugendo (alias Monaco Dollar)
Maj. Alphonse Munyarugendo, born in 1966 in Ngororero district, serves as the FDLR’s coordinator in the SADC region. Operating from Maputo, Mozambique, he is believed to be responsible for recruiting fighters and mobilizing funds to sustain FDLR operations.
He previously belonged to ALIR, the precursor to the FDLR, which launched attacks on Rwandan territory in the late 1990s.
Maj. Gen. Antoine Hakizimana (alias Jeva)
The military chief of CNRD–FLN, Maj. Gen. Antoine Hakizimana was born in 1971 in Nyamasheke district and is based in Bujumbura, Burundi.
He has been linked to terrorist incursions in Nyaruguru and Kitabi, and collaborating with other militia leaders such as Iyamuremye of the FDLR. He is accused of direct command responsibility for cross-border attacks against Rwanda.
Dr. Innocent Biruka (alias Mitali)
Dr. Biruka, born in Huye district in 1964 and residing in Alsace, France, is the Secretary-General of CNRD–FLN. He has been accused of coordinating communications between terror groups, organizing fundraising in Europe, and claiming responsibility for the 2018 Yanze model village attack in Nyaruguru district.
Eric Munyemana
A Belgian national of Rwandan origin, Eric Munyemana was born in Karongi district in 1972. Based in the Flanders region of Belgium, he is identified as vice president of the FLN and is responsible for fundraising to sustain its terrorist operations.
Authorities say Munyemana’s activities form part of a broader European financial network aiding anti-Rwanda militias.
Gen. Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa
One of the founding members of the Rwanda National Congress (RNC), Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa lives in Pretoria, South Africa.
A former senior military officer, he was convicted in absentia for coordinating grenade attacks in Kigali between 2010 and 2013. He has also been cited in UN and regional reports as maintaining direct connections with FDLR commanders to destabilize Rwanda.
Dr. Emmanuel Hakizimana
Born in 1963 in Gisagara district, Dr. Emmanuel Hakizimana is a co-founder of the RNC and a member of the MRCD coalition. Now living in Montreal, Canada, he is accused of recruiting for terrorist activities and managing fundraising campaigns that support anti-Rwanda operations abroad.
Abdulkarim Ali Nyarwaya (alias Dick Nyarwaya)
A British national based in London, Abdulkarim Nyarwaya was born in Jinja, Uganda, in 1968. He is identified as a member of the P5 coalition, accused of mobilizing and transferring funds to terrorist organizations linked to Kayumba Nyamwasa.
Maj. Robert Higiro (alias Gasisi)
Operating from Nairobi, Kenya, Maj. Robert Higiro is accused of coordinating RNC activities in East Africa. Born in 1970, he is alleged to manage fundraising and recruitment efforts under the RNC–P5 umbrella, collaborating closely with other sanctioned figures.
Frank Ntwali
Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Frank Ntwali serves as the RNC’s representative in Southern Africa. Born in 1977 in Kampala, he is accused of overseeing recruitment drives and acting as a liaison between RNC and FDLR to coordinate attacks against Rwanda.
Ignace Rusagara
Born in 1986, Rusagara resides in Maine, USA, and functions as a spokesperson for the RNC. He is accused of promoting extremist rhetoric, defending FDLR activities, and amplifying propaganda that seeks to justify terrorism against Rwanda.
Jean Paul Turayishimiye
A founding member of RNC, Jean Paul Turayishimiye lives in Washington, D.C., where he reportedly manages online platforms used to incite violence and spread anti-Rwanda messaging.
Born in Rutshuru, DRC, he has been linked to the Rwanda Alliance for Change, accused of coordinating recruitment and financing efforts.
Gaspard Musabyimana
A longtime media operator, Musabyimana was born in Burera District in 1955 and now resides in Brussels, Belgium. He runs online outlets musabyimana.net and Radio Inkingi, both accused of spreading hate propaganda and mobilizing support for the FDLR and P5 coalitions.
Placide Kayumba
A native of Gisagara District, Placide Kayumba, based in Namur, Belgium, is accused of linking FDU-Inkingi operations to the FDLR and coordinating joint financial activities under the P5 coalition.
Augustin Munyaneza
Based in Brussels, Belgium, Augustin Munyaneza is identified as a member of FDU-Inkingi and a known sympathizer of the FDLR and P5 networks. Authorities say he played a key role in channeling funds across Europe to sustain anti-Rwanda militancy.
Michel Niyibizi
A teacher residing in Tournai, Belgium, Michel Niyibizi, born in 1956, is accused of organizing fundraising activities for both FDLR–FOCA and P5. Intelligence reports link him to planning and financing attacks against Rwanda.
Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa (alias Redcom)
A former ambassador to the United States and founding member of the RNC, Dr. Rudasingwa was born in Ngoma district in 1961 and lives in Washington, D.C. He has been accused of masterminding the 2010–2013 grenade attacks in Kigali and of initiating collaboration between RNC and FDLR in 2013.
Jonathan Musonera
A London-based activist, Jonathan Musonera was born in Nyanza district in 1964. He is accused of using public platforms to incite terrorism and mobilize funding for the NEW-RNC, an offshoot of the RNC, while maintaining ties with FDLR networks.
Maj. Jacques Kanyamibwa
Based in Toulouse, France, Maj. Jacques Kanyamibwa was born in 1957 in Karongi district. He is accused of mobilizing funds for terrorist activities and participating in the planning of the 2019 RUD-Urunana attack in Kinigi, Musanze district.
Thomas Nahimana
The president of the Ishema Party, Thomas Nahimana, lives in Le Havre, France. Born in Rusizi district in 1971, he is accused of coordinating with terrorist groups and inciting violence against Rwanda through online channels such as Isi n’Ijuru TV.
Christine Coleman Uwizera
A U.S.-based citizen residing in Denver, Colorado, Christine Coleman Uwizera is accused of supporting the FLN and promoting incitement to commit terror acts against Rwanda. She allegedly maintains contact with several extremist groups, including FDLR, FLN, and P5.
Sylvestre Nduwayezu (alias Jet Lee)
The final individual on the sanctions list, Sylvestre Nduwayezu was born in Musanze district in 1972 and resides in Kampala, Uganda. He is accused of planning and coordinating terrorist attacks targeting Rwanda and recruiting operatives in both Rwanda and Uganda.
A coordinated global crackdown
Rwanda’s sanctions mark a milestone in counterterrorism enforcement, linking digital evidence, intelligence findings, and international cooperation. The designations expose a global web of financing and coordination stretching from Congo’s conflict zones to cities like Brussels, Paris, London, and Washington.
Authorities emphasize that the sanctions are preventive, targeted, and reversible, subject to appeal under established legal frameworks. The message, however, is that Rwanda will pursue terrorism and its financiers, wherever they operate.
