More than 200 people were killed this week in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Lubumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of the province where the mine is located, told Reuters on Friday. The mine is reportedly run by AFC/M23 which is a coalition of rebel groups in eastern DRC.
According to reports, Rubaya produces around 15% of the world’s coltan, a mineral processed into tantalum, a heat-resistant metal used in mobile phones, computers, aerospace components, and gas turbines. At the site, locals dig manually for a few dollars per day. The mine has been under the control of the AFC/M23 rebel group since 2024. The collapse happened on Wednesday, and the exact toll was still unclear as of Friday evening.
Rainy Season Disaster in Congo
“More than 200 people were victims of this landslide, including miners, children and market women. Some people were rescued just in time and have serious injuries,” Muyisa said, adding that around 20 injured people were being treated in health facilities, as per reports.
He explained the cause, “We are in the rainy season. The ground is fragile. It was the ground that gave way while the victims were in the hole.”
An adviser to the governor put the number of confirmed dead at at least 227, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media.
UN Accuses Rebels
The United Nations has said that AFC/M23 has plundered Rubaya’s mineral riches to help fund its insurgency, which is allegedly backed by the government of neighboring Rwanda, a claim Kigali denies.
The heavily armed rebels, whose stated aim is to overthrow the government in Kinshasa and ensure the safety of the Congolese Tutsi minority, captured even more mineral-rich territory in eastern Congo during a lightning advance last year.
(With inputs from Reuters)
