WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday imposed sanctions on a Rwandan government minister and a senior member of an armed group for their alleged role in the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to a statement.

The Treasury said Rwanda's Minister of State for Regional Integration James Kabarebe was being targeted because he is "central to Rwanda's support" for the M23 militant group that it said was responsible for human rights abuses in Congo.

Also targeted was Lawrence Kanyuka Kingston, an M23 and Congo River Alliance senior member and spokesperson, and two companies he controls in Britain and France.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis)

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