2 days ago
Congolese mining company rejects US allegations following sanctions
The Congolese mining company sanctioned by the US this week has said it "categorically rejects" allegations linking it to armed groups and mineral smuggling in turbulent eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The US treasury department on Tuesday announced sanctions against the Cooperative des Artisanaux Miniers du Congo (CDMC) over what it called the illicit sale of critical minerals smuggled from the mineral-rich region of Rubaya.
The US also sanctioned the Coalition des Patriotes Resistants Congolais-Forces de Frappe (PARECO-FF) — an armed group aligned with DRC's military which Washington said controlled mining sites in Rubaya from 2022 to 2024 — and two Hong Kong-based exporters.
CDMC said control of its sites by armed groups meant the company could not operate legally.
"We are not the perpetrators — but the primary victims — of the armed conflict and pillage that have destabilised this region," CDMC said in a statement received by Reuters late on Wednesday.
