The US has sanctioned Rwanda’s Gasabo Gold Refinery and its top executives for allegedly helping M23 rebels smuggle gold and minerals out of eastern DR Congo.
Washington is turning up the pressure on Rwanda’s gold trade. The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Gasabo Gold Refinery Ltd, its chairman Jean Malic Kalima, general manager Bosco Kayobotsi, and three mining companies linked to Kalima, accusing them of helping M23 rebels smuggle conflict minerals from eastern DR Congo, the BBC reports.
US officials allege Rwandan forces and M23 fighters escorted the gold into Rwanda for refining before it entered global markets, with at least 60 kilograms — worth millions of dollars — moved to Gasabo in early 2026 alone.
The sanctions freeze any US-linked assets and bar Americans from doing business with the network. Rwanda has long denied backing M23; neither Gasabo nor its executives have responded to requests for comment.
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