Congolese Army troops patrol to protect the town against attacks by armed groups. Image by MONUSCO/Abel Kavanagh. CC BY-SA 4.0 deed via Wikimedia Commons.

By Sam Irving

In eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), conflict creates more than just human tragedy and a breakdown in governance; it also blurs the trail of the country’s most valuable natural resources, namely gold. In neighboring Uganda, gold exports have risen sharply over the last decade, with noticeable surges between 2022 and 2024.

In 2023, Uganda’s gold exports were a staggering USD 2.3 billion, a drastic increase from the mere USD 201 million exported over the 12 months prior. This raises the question: Is Uganda’s gold truly Ugandan, or is it conflict gold smuggled from neighboring war-torn countries and exported as its own? 

Colonial scars and the March 23 Movement

The DRC is one of the largest African countries and one of the most mineral-rich countries in the world, holding over 70 percent of global cobalt reserves. However, despite vast resource wealth, the DRC has been trapped in a cycle of poverty and conflict since its colonization by  Belgium under the rule of King Leopold II.

In 1960, the Congo gained independence, yet it was a nation scarred with political instability, fractured social fabric, and a lack of administrative capacity, resulting in the Congo being deemed a failed state. Despite having vast mineral riches, the Congo is now one of the world's poorest countries.  The dire political and socioeconomic conditions have resulted in over half a century of conflict and instability. The most noticeable conflict of recent years is the conflict in Eastern DRC between the Congolese army and differing armed groups, most notably the M23 rebel group. 

The March 23 Movement (M23) is a primarily Rwandan-backed, Tutsi-majority armed rebel group that was formed in 2012 by mutineers from the Congolese army. The formation of M23 can be traced to the spillover effects of displaced and victimized communities after the  Rwandan genocide, which saw the Hutu majority in Rwanda turn against their fellow Tutsi minority countrymen who had been the favored ethnicity of German colonialists and therefore controlled much of Rwanda’s wealth and high societal positions.

International watchdogs and governing bodies like the United Nations have speculated about why Rwanda continues to fund and support M23. One reason is likely the lucrative smuggling market that emerges as a result of the conflict, destabilizing the DRC and disabling chances of regional hegemony by such a resource-rich sub-Saharan state.  However, Rwanda might not be the only neighbor sponsoring conflict in the eastern DRC to further exploit smuggling routes. Could Uganda's almost inexplicable increase in gold exports over recent years be attributed to smuggled Congolese gold?  

Consequences of the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC

The ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, allegedly fuelled in part by Uganda’s support for  M23 rebels, has inflicted devastating consequences on Congolese civilians as well as the wider region. 

Rebel groups such as M23 tend to operate in remote rural areas, sustaining themselves through the looting and sale of natural resources. This perpetuates a cycle of instability that thrives on the absence of state control. M23 can be directly linked to outside actors via its control of mines and smuggling routes, redirecting wealth away from the DRC towards itself and its state sponsors. 

Sexual violence has emerged alongside economic exploitation, being used as a weapon of war. Recent reports from international organizations have documented 761 victims of sexual violence between 2019 and 2022, although the real figure is likely far higher. As key scholars note, wartime rape devastates not only individuals but also whole communities as it works to fracture families, dismantle key social networks, and thus cripple local economies. 

Sexual violence and wartime rape, however, do not represent all the human costs of the ongoing conflict. Further testimonies from Eastern DRC locals affected by the conflict can help to paint an equally gruesome picture. Tontine, a Congolese woman, recalls being caught up in an outburst of violence when an explosion devastatingly killed six members of her family and injured many more. As well as death and the loss of family members and friends, several sources note the mass displacement of people, many of whom were forced to leave their homes due to the violence. A  testimony from a civilian in a camp in Goma, in eastern DRC, further illustrates how M23 soldiers are forcibly removing civilians from their homes and from temporary camps. These more personal accounts align with reports from  Human Rights Watch (HRW), which supports allegations that M23 is forcing the mass displacement of civilians, as well as other atrocities that border on war crimes. 

Uganda’s gold boom

Uganda's gold boom is no coincidence. Its soaring exports come at the same time as the eastern DRC is engulfed in violence, raising questions over who really benefits from this endless conflict. For years, Rwanda has been accused of backing M23 rebels to control mines and smuggling routes. Now, Uganda’s sudden gold windfall seems to tell a parallel story: that conflict next door provides the perfect cover for smuggling Congolese gold. 

This is the fog of war at work, violence obscures everything, allowing armed groups and their state spenders to profit at the DRC’s expense. It is ordinary Congolese citizens who suffer mass displacement, sexual violence, and shattered communities while their country's wealth continues to spiral. Instead of being a driver of stability and growth, the DRC’s mineral riches are siphoned off by others, turning chaos in the DRC into profit for themselves. 

The DRC is trapped in the resource curse paradox, where staggering natural wealth generates instability, not development. Regional actors play a central role; however, so do international actors, as global demand for gold, whether for technology, finance, jewelry, and more, drives this illicit economy. From traders in Kampala to refineries in  Dubai to European markets, consumers in the global north are indirectly complicit in sustaining these economies of war. 

Uganda’s role should be seen for what it is, not just opportunities but complicity. By sponsoring conflict across the border in eastern DRC, Uganda ensures the steady flow of smuggled gold that has transformed its export economy almost overnight.

Will the world continue to turn a blind eye? If global markets, governments, institutions, and watchdogs fail to act, then the cycle will continue. Uganda’s booming exports will stand as a stark reminder that in the DRC, peace pays less than plunder.