This archive report was first published on 26 June 2020.
On June 26, 2020, the United Nations (UN) imposed sanctions on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for a period of one year, allowing for both individuals and groups to be targeted.
The UN Security Council expressed concern over the continued illegal exploitation and trade of natural resources in the DRC, calling for sustained efforts to prevent such practices.
According to a recent report by UN experts, multiple cases of trafficking have been documented, with gold from the DRC flowing into Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates, and Tanzania.
The report noted that the United Arab Emirates had promised to tighten controls on the source of gold arriving in the country.
UN experts found that some refineries in the region acted as brokers, used cash payments, and undertook refiner-to-refiner trading to obscure ownership, thereby inhibiting supply chain accountability.
Gold traders also avoided the use of formal banking networks, the report stated.
The DRC sits on top of large reserves of cobalt, copper, gold, and other valuable minerals, but remains one of the world's poorest countries, with an average per capita revenue of $490, according to World Bank data.
