By: OrePulse

Gold mining and trafficking have become the leading source of funding for the armed group known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, overtaking cocoa trading, extortion and kidnapping, according to a report released October 27 by the Washington-based advocacy group The Sentry, which analyzes the financial networks behind armed conflicts.

The report estimated that ADF-controlled gold sites near Manguredjipa, in the Bapere sector of Lubero territory in North Kivu province, generate $1 million to $1.6 million a year for the group. It said gold extracted at these sites moves through local trading hubs before being smuggled into Uganda, where it enters refining and export channels, and that some of the resulting flows reach buyers in the United Arab Emirates.

According to the report, joint operations by the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, referred to as "Shujaa," weakened some ADF strongholds but did not eliminate the group. The ADF has since fragmented into smaller units that continue to operate in remote forest and mining areas of North Kivu, Ituri and Tshopo provinces, the report said, including sites beyond Manguredjipa in other parts of Lubero territory and in Mambasa territory.

The Sentry called on governments and companies involved in the gold trade to tighten sourcing controls, apply enhanced due diligence to high-risk transactions, and target the financial networks that profit from the trade, according to the report. The findings add to longstanding concerns about the traceability of gold originating in conflict-affected areas of eastern Congo and its entry into international supply chains, including through the United Arab Emirates, a major regional gold-trading and refining hub.