By Spy Uganda
At least 200 people were killed earlier this week after heavy rains triggered a series of devastating landslides at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials and witnesses have said.
The mine, located in North Kivu province, has been under the control of the M23 rebel group since 2024. Torrential rainfall caused unstable soil at the site to collapse, sweeping away miners and nearby residents who had built shelters close to the mining area.
“It rained, a landslide followed, and it swept people away,” said miner Franck Bolingo. “Some were swallowed up, others died in the wells. Many are still trapped inside.”
A spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of North Kivu, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, said the victims included miners, children and market women who were at or near the site at the time of the disaster.
He added that at least 20 people were injured and are receiving treatment, with some admitted to local health centres while others are being transferred to Goma, the provincial capital located about 50 kilometres from Rubaya.
Search and rescue operations were continuing, and officials warned that the death toll was likely to rise as more bodies were recovered from the debris.
Muyisa said the governor had ordered a temporary suspension of artisanal mining activities at the site and directed the relocation of residents who had erected makeshift shelters in hazardous areas near the mine.
Rubaya is a major global source of coltan, producing an estimated 15 percent of the world’s supply. Coltan is refined into tantalum, a key component used in the manufacture of smartphones, computers and aircraft engines.
The United Nations has previously accused the M23 rebel group of exploiting Rubaya’s mineral wealth to finance its insurgency.
Eastern DR Congo, one of the most mineral-rich regions in the world, has been plagued by decades of conflict involving government forces and multiple armed groups. Since its resurgence in 2021, M23 has seized large swathes of territory in the region.
Despite a United States-brokered agreement between the governments of DR Congo and Rwanda and ongoing negotiations between Kinshasa and the rebels, fighting continues on several fronts, compounding humanitarian and security challenges in the area.
