President Trump's administration has escalated its campaign against the illicit mineral trade in Central Africa by sanctioning a Kigali-based gold refinery that it says sits at the heart of a sophisticated network smuggling conflict gold from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In a sweeping sanctions announcement, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Gasabo Gold Refinery LTD, accusing it of working with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and elements of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) to refine and commercialize gold illegally extracted from eastern DRC.
According to the Treasury, the refinery served as the final processing point for gold transported from M23-controlled mining areas in South Kivu before entering international supply chains, turning illegally sourced minerals into market-ready bullion.
The sanctions form part of Washington's broader effort to disrupt the financing networks of M23 while supporting the implementation of the U.S.-brokered Washington Accords signed by Rwanda and the DRC in December 2025.
"The Democratic Republic of the Congo's mineral wealth rightfully belongs to the Congolese people," U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, adding that the United States would continue targeting networks that profit from the illicit mineral trade.
