A United Nations report said gold smuggling from the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province to Uganda is increasing [1].
The rise in illicit trafficking threatens regional stability and deprives the DRC of essential revenue needed for governance and infrastructure. By bypassing official channels, these smuggling operations often fund armed groups and perpetuate conflict in the eastern region of the country.
UN experts said there is a significant gap between the gold Uganda declares as produced domestically and the volumes it actually exports [2]. This mismatch suggests that gold mined in the Ituri province is being moved across the border and rebranded as Ugandan gold before entering the global market [1].
Data cited by the experts highlights specific discrepancies in Uganda's gold export levels during 2025 [2]. The report said the volume of gold leaving the country far exceeds the capacity of Uganda's own mining sector to produce it.
Ituri province in eastern DRC remains a primary source of the smuggled minerals [1]. The porous nature of the border allows for the steady flow of gold into Uganda, where it is then processed or exported to international buyers [2].
Officials from the UN said they have not specified the exact tonnage of the discrepancy, but they noted the trend is on the rise [1]. The report said the illicit trade persists despite international efforts to regulate the supply chain of conflict minerals.
“Gold smuggling from the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province to Uganda is increasing.”
The discrepancy between production and exports suggests a systemic failure in regional border controls and a loophole in the certification of 'conflict-free' gold. If gold from the DRC is laundered through Uganda, it allows illicit actors to access global markets while bypassing sanctions and transparency requirements, further destabilizing the Ituri province.
