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Rwanda condemned the United States’ sanctions on one of its government officials, describing the measures as “unjustified and unfounded.”

On Thursday, the U.S. slapped sanctions on James Kabarebe, the Minister of State for Regional Integration.

In a statement, the U.S. Department of the Treasury accused Kabarebe of serving as a “Rwandan government liaison to M23.”

Rwanda responded in a statement, saying that if sanctions could resolve the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, there would have been peace in the region decades ago.

“Punitive measures, including sanctions, make no contribution toward long-term security, peace, and stability for all the countries of the Great Lakes region. Such measures can only be construed as unwarranted external interference in the African-led process, which risks prolonging the resolution of the conflict,” the statement added.

Rwanda has consistently denied allegations of its troops’ presence in the DRC and support for M23.

Rwanda urged the international community to fully support and respect the African-led mediation process to resolve the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kigali stated that this was the only credible solution to the conflict and reaffirmed its full commitment to the process.