U.S. sanctions armed group, firms over conflict minerals in Congo

The U.S. government on Tuesday sanctioned an armed group accused of illicit trading in minerals in eastern Congo as Washington pushes ahead for U.S. access to the region’s minerals.

A senior U.S. government official who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the formal announcement said the State and Treasury departments are sanctioning the PARECO armed group, which controlled the key coltan mining site of Rubaya from 2022 to early…