Rights teams raised considerations over situations on the mine, which provides about 15 % of the world’s coltan utilized in superior electronics.
Printed On 31 Jan 2026
Greater than 200 individuals have been reported killed in a collapse on the Rubaya coltan mine in jap Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of the province the place the mine is situated, advised the Reuters information company.
The mine, situated some 60km (37 miles) northwest of Goma metropolis, the provincial capital of North Kivu province, collapsed on Wednesday, and the exact variety of casualties was nonetheless unclear as of Friday night, Reuters experiences.
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“Greater than 200 individuals have been victims of this landslide, together with miners, youngsters and market ladies. Some individuals have been rescued simply in time and have severe accidents,” Muyisa advised Reuters, including that about 20 injured individuals have been being handled in well being amenities.
“We’re within the wet season. The bottom is fragile. It was the bottom that gave means whereas the victims have been within the gap,” he mentioned.
Eraston Bahati Musanga, the governor of North Kivu province appointed by the M23 insurgent group, advised the AFP information company on Friday that “some our bodies have been recovered”, with out giving a particular determine of the variety of these killed and injured, however suggesting a probably excessive demise toll.
An adviser to the provincial governor put the demise toll at greater than 200, talking on situation of anonymity to Reuters as a result of he was not authorised to transient the media.
AFP mentioned it was unable to verify the demise toll with impartial sources as of Friday night.
Franck Bolingo, an artisanal miner interviewed at Rubaya by AFP, mentioned persons are believed to nonetheless be trapped contained in the mine.
“It rained, then the landslide occurred and swept individuals away. Some have been buried alive, and others are nonetheless trapped within the shafts,” Bolingo mentioned.
Rubaya produces about 15 % of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum, a heat-resistant steel that’s in excessive demand by makers of cell phones, computer systems, aerospace parts and gasoline generators.
The mine, the place locals dig manually for a couple of {dollars} per day, has been beneath the management of the Rwanda-backed M23 insurgent group since 2024, after beforehand altering arms between the DRC authorities and insurgent teams.
The heavily-armed M23 rebels, whose acknowledged intention is to overthrow the DRC authorities within the capital Kinshasa, captured much more mineral-rich territory within the east of the nation throughout a lightning advance final yr.
The United Nations has accused M23 rebels of plundering Rubaya’s sources to assist fund their insurrection, backed by Rwanda, an allegation that the federal government in Kigali denies.
Regardless of the DRC’s distinctive mineral wealth, greater than 70 % of Congolese reside on lower than $2.15 a day.
