US sanctions armed group and mining partners in eastern DRC

Edited by: Omar kadir

The United States has imposed punitive measures on the armed group PARECO-FF and three companies accused of profiting from illegal mineral extraction in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The action targets a Congolese mining cooperative and two Chinese exporters allegedly moving strategic minerals to global markets, often through Rwanda, to finance violence in the region.

According to the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, PARECO-FF generated revenue through mineral smuggling and unlawful taxation in the Rubaya area, while committing forced labor practices and extrajudicial killings. The sanctioned entities, including the Cooperative des artisanaux miniers du Congo and its Hong Kong-based partners East Rise and Star Dragon, are said to have played a central role in channeling these resources abroad.

This move comes amid heightened tensions between Kinshasa, Kigali, and the M23 over civilian massacres reported by the United Nations, straining a US-brokered peace agreement intended to pave the way for a regional summit. Washington’s measures aim to cut off illicit funding streams that perpetuate the cycle of conflict and to pressure those involved to cease unlawful operations in eastern Congo.