Landslides at M23-held Rubaya coltan mine in eastern DRC bury miners; fatalities feared
A series of landslides struck the militia-controlled Rubaya mining zone in North Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, burying people alive and killing several, according to accounts provided to AFP by the provincial governor and witnesses. The death toll remained unclear Friday, and independent verification of casualties was not immediately possible.
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The collapses followed heavy rains, with one landslide reported Wednesday afternoon and a second on Thursday morning. Witnesses described miners being swept away and trapped underground as unstable earth gave way across the sprawling artisanal site.
“It rained, then the landslide followed and swept people away. Some were buried and others are still in the pits,” freelance miner Franck Bolingo told AFP, adding that “some bodies have been found,” without providing an exact number. Another miner, Olivier Zinzabakwira, said he narrowly escaped when the hillside collapsed as he worked in a pit in search of ore.
Despite the danger, dozens of scavengers continued shoveling at the open-air diggings on Friday, AFP video showed. Men and women, some in rubber boots and tank tops, sifted through pits and mounds of spoil as rain-soaked slopes loomed above them.
The Rubaya mine, one of the world’s most significant sources of coltan—a key mineral in electronics from smartphones to laptops—produces an estimated 15% to 30% of global supply. The area has been under the control of the M23 rebellion since April 2024, after the group seized large swaths of North Kivu amid a broader offensive. Congolese authorities and United Nations experts say Rwanda has backed the advance; Kigali denies providing military support.
According to U.N. experts, the M23 has installed a parallel administration at Rubaya that regulates production and trade. Their reporting estimates the group earns around $800,000 a month from the mine, levying a $7-a-kilo tax on coltan as it is produced and sold. The experts also accuse Rwanda of using the militia to siphon Congolese minerals across the border, allegations Rwanda rejects.
Eastern DRC is among the most resource-rich regions on earth. Beyond Rubaya’s output, the broader area is believed to contain between 60% and 80% of the world’s coltan and holds significant reserves of gold and tin, making mines a linchpin of local economies—and a magnet for armed groups. Several international mining companies have temporarily suspended operations in the east amid the M23’s gains and worsening insecurity.
The latest landslides underscore the lethal risks faced by artisanal miners across eastern Congo, where steep, waterlogged slopes and rudimentary tools leave workers exposed to sudden collapses. With the site under militia control and access limited, it was not immediately clear how many people remained missing or whether organized rescue efforts were under way.
Authorities and local communities have frequently warned that seasonal rains and unregulated digging in fragile terrain can turn mine sites into mass-casualty zones. Friday’s ongoing work at Rubaya, despite the back-to-back slides, reflected both the pressure to earn a living and the high stakes tied to one of the global tech industry’s most sought-after minerals.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
