The United States has imposed sanctions on the Rwandan military and four of its senior officials, citing "direct operational support" for the M23 rebel group. This insurgent force, along with its affiliate, the Congo River Alliance (AFC), has seized extensive territory in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). These advances include the capture of provincial capitals in the mineral-rich North and South Kivu regions, developments the US Treasury Department asserts would have been impossible without Rwanda's backing. Thabiso Tema spoke HUBERT KABASU BABU KATULONDI Congolese Writer and Analyst of African Politics.