More than 200 people were killed this week after a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesperson for the rebel-appointed provincial governor, who spoke to Reuters on Friday.
Rubaya produces around 15 percent of the world’s coltan, which is refined into tantalum, a heat-resistant metal widely used in mobile phones, computers, aerospace components, and gas turbines. Local residents work the mine manually for just a few dollars a day. The site has been under the control of the AFC/M23 rebel group since 2024.
The collapse occurred on Wednesday, and the exact death toll remains unclear.
“More than 200 people were victims of this landslide, including miners, children, and market women. Some people were rescued in time but suffered serious injuries,” Muyisa said, adding that around 20 injured individuals were receiving treatment at health facilities.
“We are in the rainy season. The ground is fragile. The soil gave way while the victims were inside the pit,” he said.
An adviser to the governor, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media, said the number of confirmed deaths had reached at least 227.
The United Nations has accused the AFC/M23 group of exploiting Rubaya’s mineral wealth to finance its insurgency, which it says is backed by neighbouring Rwanda. Rwanda has denied the allegation.
The heavily armed rebels, who say their objective is to overthrow the government in Kinshasa and protect the Congolese Tutsi minority, captured additional mineral-rich territory in eastern Congo during a rapid advance last year.
