Particle.news
Download on the App Store
27 ARTICLES
·
2d ago

Congo Says at Least 200 Dead After Landslides at Rebel-Held Rubaya Coltan Mine

Congo’s government blames M23 control for deadly conditions at a coltan hub tied to global electronics.

Image
Photo taken on May 7, 2025 shows miners at work at a coltan mining site in the town of Rubaya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC. In the mist-veiled highlands of Masisi territory, a silent war for control over one of the world's most strategic minerals is raging. Rubaya, a remote town in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC, has once again found itself at the heart of a global supply chain entangled in armed conflict and rebel rule. Since April 2024, the March 23 Movement M23 rebel group has maintained control over Rubaya's lucrative coltan mining sites. The ore -- columbite-tantalite, commonly known as coltan -- yields tantalum, a rare metal essential for manufacturing smartphones, fighter jets, medical implants, and advanced electronics. According to United Nations estimates, Rubaya alone accounts for more than 15 percent of the world's tantalum supply. (Photo by Zheng Yangzi/Xinhua via Getty Images) TO GO WITH Feature: Mist and metal -- coltan grab in eastern DR Congo
FILE - Miners work at the D4 Gakombe coltan mining quarry in Rubaya, Congo, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)
Image

Overview

  • Kinshasa said it fears at least 200 fatalities and accused the Rwanda‑backed M23 of exploiting the site through an organized system of looting.
  • Landslides struck on Wednesday and again Thursday after heavy rains, collapsing multiple hand-dug artisanal shafts.
  • Rebel-run provincial authorities report ongoing recoveries and about 20 injured in treatment, with transfers to Goma planned as the full toll remains unclear due to phone outages.
  • Artisanal mining at Rubaya has been temporarily suspended and residents in makeshift shelters near the pits have been ordered to relocate.
  • The M23-controlled area supplies roughly 15% of global coltan, and UN experts say the rebels tax the trade for revenue, allegations Rwanda denies.