According to the U.S. government, the action is intended to weaken financial networks that sustain the M23 armed group, which it said has exploited the mineral wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to finance its insurgency.
The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on two individuals and four entities accused of smuggling conflict minerals out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to support the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group, in a move Washington says is aimed at disrupting the financing of armed violence in the region.
The sanctions, announced by the U.S. Department of State on Thursday and published on its official website, target Gasabo Gold Refinery LTD, its chairman Jean Malic Kalima, and three other Rwandan mining companies alleged to be involved in the illicit trade of minerals from eastern DR Congo.
According to the U.S. government, the action is intended to weaken financial networks that sustain the M23 armed group, which it said has exploited the mineral wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to finance its insurgency.
In the statement, the United States said, "Today, the United States is taking action against networks smuggling conflict minerals out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to support the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group."
