OFAC issues DRC sanctions general license for food, medicine and medical trade

WASHINGTON, July 10, 2026 — The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued Democratic Republic of the Congo General License No. 2 on Friday, authorizing transactions otherwise prohibited under 31 CFR part 547 when they are ordinarily incident and necessary to the export or reexport of agricultural commodities, medicine, medical devices, replacement parts and components, and software updates for medical devices to the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Rwanda. The authorization also covers sales to persons in third countries purchasing specifically for provision to those two countries.

The license also authorizes transactions tied to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of disease or medical conditions in the DRC or Rwanda, as well as clinical trials and other medical research activities in those countries. The document defines covered agricultural commodities broadly to include human and animal food, seeds for food crops, fertilizers and reproductive materials for food animals.

OFAC said the general license does not authorize any transaction otherwise prohibited by the Democratic Republic of the Congo Sanctions Regulations unless separately authorized. It also said nothing in the license relieves parties from complying with other federal laws or with requirements administered by other federal agencies. A note to the license states that the authorization includes transactions ordinarily incident to the provision of medical care and the operation of medical clinics or facilities.

The license is dated July 10, 2026, and was signed by Lisa M. Palluconi, OFAC’s deputy director. OFAC’s DRC sanctions page lists the measure as Democratic Republic of the Congo General License 2 and says general licenses allow all U.S. persons to engage in the activity described without applying for a specific license.

The move adds a humanitarian and medical trade authorization to a sanctions program that OFAC has updated several times this year. OFAC’s DRC sanctions page shows General License 1 was issued on March 2, 2026, to authorize the wind down of transactions involving the Rwanda Defence Force, while Treasury’s recent actions page lists the new DRC-related general license as a July 10 action.