Treasury Sanctions Entities Linked to Violence and Illegal Mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on entities linked to armed group violence and the sale of critical minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Eastern DRC has experienced thousands of civilian deaths and a mass displacement crisis due to ongoing instability, which has been exacerbated recently by the Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement’s (M23) territorial control and reprisal attacks from DRC-aligned militias. M23, a U.S.- and United Nations-designated armed group, has rapidly expanded its territorial control in eastern DRC and is responsible for human rights abuses.Today’s sanctions specifically target one of these armed groups involved in illegal mining operations and taxation schemes in Rubaya, an expansive mining area rich in critical minerals used in modern electronics.