The United States of America has sanctioned an armed group accused of illicit mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as both the army and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group traded accusations of violating a recently reached US-mediated ceasefire deal by attacking each other’s positions.
The US Department of the Treasury said that it was blocking all interests and restricting transactions with Pareco-FF, an armed group that it said controlled the key coltan mining site of Rubaya from 2022 to 2024, and which has opposed the M23 group.
The administration of President Donald Trump has been pushing for US access to the region’s minerals, as it has done in other parts of the world, including Ukraine.
It also slapped sanctions on the Congolese mining company CDMC, saying it sold minerals that were sourced and smuggled from mines near Rubaya and two Hong Kong-based export companies, East Rise and Star Dragon, which have been accused of buying minerals from the armed group.
“The United States is sending a clear message that no armed group or commercial entity is immune from sanctions if they undermine peace, stability or security in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement issued today.
Rubaya is currently under the control of the M23 group, which is already targeted by US sanctions and the mine there produces 15 to 30 percent of the world’s supply of coltan, a mineral used in electronics such as laptops and mobile telephones.
It is reported that many Pareco rebels integrated into the Democratic Republic of Congo military in 2009, but Pareco-FF emerged in 2022 in response to the M23 gains.
The sanctions come as Democratic Republic of Congo Army spokesman Sylvain Ekenge said in a statement that the M23 group’s attacks constitute an intentional and manifest violation of the declaration of principles, which the two parties signed in mid-July in Doha, whose terms include a “permanent ceasefire”.
It followed a separate peace deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo Congo and the Government of Rwandan agreement signed in Washington, DC, in June which also helped the US government and US companies gain control of critical minerals in the region.
The Democratic Republic of Congo Army said it was ready to respond to all provocations from M23 rebel group coalition, accustomed to violating agreements.
The M23 rebel spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said that Democratic Republic of Congo government was continuing its offensive military manoeuvres aimed at full-scale war.
The Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo a region that borders with the Republic of Rwanda has abundant natural resources but is plagued by non-state armed groups and has suffered extreme violence for more than three decades.
A new surge of unrest broke out early this year when the M23 rebel group captured the key cities of Goma and Bukavu, setting up their own administrations leading to death of thousands of people in the conflict.
Violence has continued on the ground despite the US and Qatar-brokered peace deal, with fighting becoming more intense since last week around the town of Mulamba in South Kivu province, where the front line had been relatively stable since March.
It is now clearly reported that the M23 rebel attacked positions between last Friday and tgis Monday held by pro-Kinshasa militia and army forces, and pushed them back several kilometres, after clashes using light and heavy weapons.
The Democratic Republic of Congo government and the M23 rebels had agreed to sign a permanent peace deal by August 18th 2025, but the renewed fighting has threatened this effort.
Additional Reporting from Associated Press.
