The United States (US) has announced fresh sanctions against networks allegedly smuggling conflict minerals out of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to support the M23 rebel group.
In a statement, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said Gasabo Gold Refinery Ltd and its chairman, Jean Malic Kalima, along with three other Rwandan mining companies, have been working with M23 to illegally smuggle minerals from eastern DRC.
Kalima controls the Rwandan mining companies Bugambira Mines Ltd (Bugambira Mines), Wolfram Mining and Processing Ltd (Wolfram Mining), and Rwinkwavu Mining Corporation Ltd (Rwinkwavu Mining). Another individual, Bosco Kayobotsi, who runs Gasabo Gold's day‑to‑day operations as General Manager, has also been listed in the sanctions.
The statement says Gasabo Gold is being designated for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, M23.
Additionally, the firm is designated for ‘being responsible for or complicit in, or having engaged in, directly or indirectly, support to persons, including armed groups, involved in activities that threaten the peace, security, or stability of the DRC or that undermine the country's democratic processes or institutions, through the illicit trade in natural resources’.
Kalima and Kayobotsi are being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Gasabo Gold.
Bugambira Mines, Wolfram Mining, and Rwinkwavu Mining are being designated for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Kalima.
As a result of the sanctions, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the US or in the possession or control of Americans are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.
Additionally, firms and individuals are prohibited from transacting with the sanctioned entities or making any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated or blocked person, or from receiving any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from such persons.
“The US will not allow rogue groups to profit from the illicit mineral trade and destabilise the region. The DRC’s mineral wealth rightfully belongs to the Congolese people. Under President Trump’s leadership, we will continue to take decisive action against those who enable violence, exploitation, and attacks against the Congolese people,” said Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury.
The Department holds that M23’s control and trafficking of illicit minerals directly fuel its destabilising operations and further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the DRC.
It also links the trafficking of conflict minerals to violence and abuses against civilians and says it impedes responsible and legal investment in the region that would benefit local communities.
“The US is a key partner to the DRC and Rwanda in implementing the vision of the Washington Accords brokered by President Trump to achieve lasting peace and establish a fully licit and transparent regional minerals sector. Disrupting conflict mineral networks and encouraging all supply chain actors to exercise greater due diligence is necessary to create the space for the DRC, Rwanda, and other partners to build a new system that will reinforce peace, drive economic growth for the people of the region, and contribute to secure global supply chains,” OFAC says in the statement.
The sanctions follow similar ones issued on August 12 last year when the Department took action against a network of entities linked to illegal mining in the DRC.
According to the Department, since M23 took over the provincial capitals of North and South Kivu, Goma and Bukavu, Gasabo Gold has acted as a key partner to Rwandan government officials and M23 rebels as they sourced and transported gold out of eastern DRC.
“These regions are home to strategic mining sites that are rich in mineral wealth rightfully belonging to the Congolese people, and M23 has exploited this wealth to purchase weapons and equipment, pay fighters, and commit abuses targeting Congolese civilians,” the Treasury further says, noting that minerals sourced from conflict‑affected areas directly or indirectly benefit armed groups, who raise funds by selling minerals and imposing illegal ‘taxation’ schemes, often in collusion with corrupt local officials.
Following the removal of gold from mines in RDF/M23‑occupied areas in South Kivu, the Department says Rwandan government forces maintained strict oversight of the gold until it reached Gasabo Gold. Rwanda vehemently denies the claims.
“RDF soldiers and M23 rebels have ensured the safe transport of gold from M23‑held areas to Rusizi District, Rwanda, immediately over the border from Bukavu, DRC, to Gasabo Gold in Kigali, Rwanda, via ground or air transport. Upon reaching Gasabo Gold, RDF and M23 personnel handed the gold to Gasabo Gold personnel, who immediately began the refinement. In early 2026, at least 60kg of gold, representing millions of dollars in value, were moved from eastern DRC to Gasabo Gold through this scheme. The EU previously designated Gasabo Gold for its role in transporting illegally extracted gold from the DRC,” the Treasury adds.
In March this year, OFAC sanctioned the RDF for actively supporting, training, and fighting alongside M23, including supporting M23 as it seized critical regions in eastern DRC.
“In addition, the mines controlled by armed groups like M23 are linked to a wide range of human rights abuse, such as forced labor, child labor, and sexual and gender‑based violence, as well as dangerous working conditions, as evidenced by the March 2026 collapse of a mine shaft at the M23‑controlled Rubaya coltan mine in eastern DRC that killed over 200 people, including children,” the Department said.
According to the Department, most minerals sourced from eastern DRC are smuggled through Rwanda before being transported to major refining and processing countries, such as China.
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