New U.S. Sanctions Expose Kagame’s Links to Congo’s Conflict

The Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has suffered almost three decades of war. Militia groups control valuable coltan and cassiterite mines, financing conflict through illegal taxation and forced labour. On 12 August 2025, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned the Congolese militia PARECO‑FF, the Hong Kong traders East Rise Corporation Limited and Star Dragon Corporation Limited, and the Congolese cooperative Cooperative des Artisanaux Miniers du Congo (CDMC).

The sanctions marked the first time Washington targeted a network linked directly to Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame. Drawing on the sanctions report, the United Nations’ 2025 Group of Experts final report, and other investigative sources, this article exposes how Rwanda-backed groups profit from conflict minerals, the human toll on Congolese communities, and why the sanctions matter.

1. Kagame-M23-PARECO‑FF Nexus: control of Rubaya’s coltan

M23 and PARECO‑FF take over the mines

Rubaya in North Kivu province produces roughly 15 % of the world’s coltan, a critical mineral used in smartphones and electric cars. PARECO‑FF (“Coalition des Patriotes Résistants Congolais‑Force de Frappe”) emerged in 2022 and quickly seized Rubaya’s mines. According to the U.S. Treasury, PARECO‑FF controlled the mining sites from 2022 to early 2024 and generated revenue by collecting illegal fees, imposing forced labour, and executing civilians. The militia imposed taxes on diggers and workers and smuggled minerals through “opportunistic relationships” with other armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement (M23).

The United Nations’ Group of Experts report shows that in April 2024, M23 seized Rubaya from PARECO‑FF. M23’s political commissioner, Erasto Bahati, oversaw the site and instituted a complex taxation system, hand‑picking traders and expelling diggers who resisted. Local observers reported that M23 negotiated a share of coltan with PARECO‑FF before ousting them, indicating collusion rather than rivalry. M23 also used forced labour (called salongo) to build a road from Rubaya through Mushaki, Kitshanga, and Tongo to the Rwandan border; this road enabled smugglers to transport coltan to Rwanda.

Human rights abuses and tax schemes

Sources, including Al Jazeera and Global Witness, describe M23’s brutal governance. UN experts found that M23 taxed up to 120 tonnes of coltan per month, generating approximately USD 800,000. Traders interviewed by Global Witness said M23 demanded a 15 % tax on the selling price. The militia enforced forced labour at mining sites and executed civilians who defied orders.

The United Nations report documents large‑scale looting: M23 “systematically looted more than 500 tonnes of tagged and untagged 3T minerals,” smuggling 186 tonnes to Rwanda.

In March 2025, trucks moved 195 tonnes of minerals across the border at night. During the same period, an estimated 7,000-12,000 Rwandan troops fought alongside M23 in North and South Kivu, contributing to mass displacement. The human cost is staggering: the International Organization for Migration counted 6.9 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in DRC by 2023, with 5.6 million in the eastern provinces and up to one million in North Kivu alone.