DRC: United States Sanctions Networks Fueling Conflict and Mineral Theft in Eastern DRC

Jun 25, 2026 | Thomas Pigott
US Department of State
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The United States is taking action against networks smuggling conflict minerals out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to support the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group. The two individuals and four entities sanctioned in this action include Gasabo Gold Refinery LTD and its chairman Jean Malic Kalima, along with three other Rwandan mining companies.  M23 and its backers exploit the DRC’s vast mineral resources — wealth that rightfully belongs to the Congolese people — to fund weapons, pay fighters, and sustain a destabilizing insurgency that has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis.