The United States has imposed sanctions on a Congolese armed group and several companies accused of profiting from illegal mineral trade in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a region at the center of both conflict and global demand for critical minerals. On Tuesday, the U.S. State and Treasury Departments announced sanctions against the Patriotes Résistants Congolais (PARECO) armed group, which controlled the coltan-rich Rubaya mining site in North Kivu from 2022 until early 2024. During that time, U.S. officials say, PARECO ran mining operations through intimidation—collecting illegal taxes, smuggling minerals, imposing forced labor, and executing civilians in areas under its control.
Also targeted are the Congolese mining firm CDMC, accused of selling minerals smuggled from Rubaya, and two Hong Kong-based exporters, East Rise and Star Dragon, which allegedly bought those minerals. All will face U.S. asset freezes and a ban on transactions involving American entities or assets under U.S. jurisdiction. Rubaya is now under the control of the M23 rebel group, which is already under U.S. sanctions. The site sits in one of the world’s most mineral-rich areas, producing coltan—a vital component in electronics and electric vehicle batteries.
The sanctions come as Washington intensifies efforts to secure U.S. access to the region’s strategic minerals. In June, the U.S. helped broker a peace deal between Congo and Rwanda, aimed at ending the M23 insurgency and stabilizing the supply chain. However, tensions are escalating again. Congo and M23 rebels have agreed to sign a permanent peace deal by August 18, but both sides accused each other this week of fresh attacks—threatening to derail the fragile truce and worsen the humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo.
