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Key facts
Source:US Treasury (UK HM Treasury, Open Government Licence v3.0)
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced new sanctions targeting a network involved in the illegal smuggling of minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Rwanda. The Treasury identified Gasabo Gold Refinery LTD (Gasabo Gold) as a primary actor in this scheme, alleging the entity works alongside Rwandan officials and the March 23 Movement (M23) to transport gold extracted from DRC territories.
According to the announcement, the M23—an armed group recognized as such by both the U.S. and the United Nations—uses the profits from illicit mineral trafficking to fund its operations, purchase weaponry, and sustain its presence in eastern DRC. The Treasury noted that the group has seized control of strategic mining areas, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu, and has been linked to severe human rights violations, including forced labor and child labor.
The sanctions are part of a broader effort to uphold the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, a U.S.-brokered agreement signed in December 2025 between the DRC and Rwanda. This framework aims to establish a transparent regional minerals supply chain and promote economic integration. The Treasury's recent actions follow previous designations against the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and other entities linked to the destabilization of the region.
The U.S. government maintains that disrupting these mineral laundering networks is essential to preventing the financing of violence and ensuring that the DRC's natural resources benefit its own citizens. The Treasury highlighted that the illicit trade often involves moving minerals through Rwanda to major processing hubs, such as China, thereby undermining global supply chain security and regional stability.
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Disclaimer. Strait Up Maritime aggregates and summarises sanctions-related news from public-domain government sources (US Treasury OFAC, UK OFSI). Summaries are generated automatically by AI and may contain inaccuracies. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any content on this page. Strait Up Maritime is a journalism and information service — it is not a substitute for legal counsel, regulatory advice, or official sanctions verification. Use of this content is governed by our Terms of Use and News Aggregation Policy.