US Sanctions Armed Group, Hong Kong Firms Over Congo Mining

The US sanctioned an armed group and two Hong Kong-based firms allegedly linked to violence and illegal mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo, part of what officials said was an effort to combat the trade of conflict minerals from the region.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed penalties on PARECO-FF, a successor movement to what it said was an armed group with a history of “destabilizing activities in the DRC,” according to a statement. The group “imposed forced labor and executed civilians in mining areas under its control,” the Treasury said.