• DRC extends mining ban on 38 sites in rebel-held Kivu regions
  
  
• Move aims to curb M23 funding from illegal mineral exploitation
  
  
• UN reports $70M in illicit gold sales, 686 tons smuggled since January
  

The Democratic Republic of Congo's government has extended a "red status" designation on 38 mining sites in the conflict-affected North and South Kivu provinces for six months. Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba signed the order on Monday, prolonging a measure first implemented in February 2025.

The extension affects concessions in Masisi and Kalehe territories that have been under the influence of the M23 rebel group since 2024. The mining ban forms part of the government's strategy to cut off financial resources to armed groups, which Kinshasa says derive significant funding from illegal mineral exploitation.

United Nations officials have documented the scale of this funding stream. In October 2024, MONUSCO head Bintou Keita estimated that rebels were generating approximately $300,000 monthly from taxes in mining areas under their control. A separate report two months later placed these monthly revenues at $800,000.

Additional revenue comes from the Twangiza gold mine in South Kivu, where the operating company claims illicit sales by rebels have reached $70 million since May 2025.

The "red status" prohibition, effective from August 12 when the previous order expired, bans all extraction activity and makes commercial trade of coltan, cassiterite and other minerals from these sites illegal, blocking their access to formal markets.

This has fueled smuggling operations. A July 2025 UN Group of Experts report documented that conflict minerals from M23-controlled areas are systematically mixed with Rwandan production before export. The report estimated approximately 686 tons of minerals had been smuggled out of the region since January 2025.

The findings support the Congolese government's position that controlling the mineral trade represents a crucial lever in disrupting rebel financing.

Timothée Manoke, Bankable