- The Rubaya mine supplies 15% of the world’s coltan used in electronics.
- Victims included miners, children, women working at the site.
- Landslides occur after heavy rains have made the ground unstable.
More than 200 people were killed this week in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, said Lubumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesman for the rebel-appointed governor of the province where the mine is located. Reuters on Friday.
Rubaya produces about 15% of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum, a heat-resistant metal that is in high demand by manufacturers of mobile phones, computers, aerospace components and gas turbines. The site, where locals dig by hand for a few dollars a day, has been under the control of the AFC/M23 rebel group since 2024.
The collapse happened on Wednesday and the exact number was still unclear on Friday evening.
“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 about 20 injured people were being treated in health facilities.
“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 said the number of confirmed dead was at least 227. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
The UN says AFC/M23 has looted Rubaya’s riches to help fund its insurgency, backed by the government of neighboring Rwanda, a claim Kigali denies.
The heavily armed rebels, whose stated aim is to topple the government in Kinshasa and ensure the safety of Congo’s Tutsi minority, captured even more mineral-rich territory in eastern Congo in a lightning push last year.
