US imposes sanctions on Congo armed group, mining firms over illicit minerals

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FILE PHOTO: A labourer carries a sack of ore at the Rubaya coltan mine, in the town of Rubaya, which is controlled by M23 rebels, in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo March 24, 2025. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo

The United States on Tuesday announced sanctions against an armed group aligned with Congos military as well as a Congolese mining company and two Hong Kong-based exporters over armed violence and the sale of critical minerals.

The measures are the latest taken by the administration of President Donald Trump to try to bring peace to eastern Congo, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels staged a lightning advance earlier this year, spurring violence that has killed thousands of people.

The Treasury Department said it was putting sanctions on the Coalition des Patriotes Resistants Congolais-Forces de Frappe (PARECO-FF),a militia that it said controlled mining sites in the mineral-rich region of Rubaya from 2022 to 2024.

Rubaya, now controlled by M23, produces 15% of the worlds coltan, which is processed into a heat-resistant metal called tantalum that is in high demand from makers of mobile phones, computers and other applications in the electronics, aerospace and medical industries.

The new sanctions, which restrict trade with U.S. companies and persons, also target the Congolese mining company Cooperative des Artisanaux Miniers du Congo (CDMC),which the Treasury Department said sold critical minerals smuggled from PARECO-FF areas of control, and the Hong Kong-based export companies East Rise Corporation