This archive report was first published on 26 June 2020.
On June 25, 2020, the UN Security Council held a videoconference to discuss the ongoing issue of natural resource trafficking in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Council's 15 member states expressed concern over the continued illegal exploitation and trade of natural resources, particularly gold, which is fueling conflict between armed groups in the region.
As part of their efforts to combat this issue, the Council renewed UN sanctions on the DRC for a period of one year, allowing for both individuals and groups to be targeted.
UN experts monitoring the implementation of the sanctions detailed multiple cases of trafficking in a recent report, stating that gold from the DRC was being smuggled 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.
According to the report, gold traders were using cash payments, refiner-to-refiner trading, and corporate networks to obscure ownership and avoid accountability in the supply chain.
The experts also noted that the volume of gold smuggled from the DRC was significantly higher than the amount legally traded.
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.
