United States sanctions Rwandan gold refinery over DRC conflict minerals

The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has placed sanctions on Gasabo Gold Refinery Ltd in Rwanda, its chairman Jean Malic Kalima, general manager Bosco Kayobotsi and three associated mining firms. The sanctions allege the network smuggled gold mined in territories controlled by the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) into Rwanda for refining and export, financing armed conflict.

Washington says the measures reinforce the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, signed by DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame under the Trump administration, which aim to curb illicit mineral trade and support regional stability. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned, “The United States will not allow rogue groups to profit from the illicit mineral trade and destabilize the region.”

At the United Nations Security Council, senior U.S. Africa adviser Massad Fares Boulos urged both governments to honor the accords, stating that a military solution does not exist and that further U.S. actions could follow non‑compliance. He cited ongoing fighting, civilian deaths, internal displacement and refugee flows as evidence that the peace framework remains unimplemented.