The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government has reported that at least 200 people may have died in a massive landslide at a militia-controlled mine in the country’s eastern region. The tragedy occurred at the Rubaya mine in North Kivu province, which has been under the control of the M23 armed group since April 2024.
The Rubaya mine is a major source of coltan, a mineral critical for electronics production, accounting for 15–30% of the world’s supply. Thousands of artisanal miners work there daily under precarious conditions, often using only shovels and rubber boots.
According to the government and M23-appointed local authorities, part of a hillside collapsed on Wednesday, followed by a second landslide on Thursday. Recovery efforts are hampered by limited communication, damaged roads, and minimal medical resources. Injured survivors have been taken to local health centers with scarce capacity.
The Congolese government described the incident as a consequence of the armed occupation and organized exploitation of resources by the M23, which allegedly extracts 112–125 tonnes of coltan monthly and taxes miners $7 per kilogram. UN experts claim the militia generates around $800,000 a month from the mine, with Rwanda accused of indirectly benefiting from these operations.
Authorities have called on the international community to recognize the scale of the disaster, highlighting that ongoing armed control and resource exploitation contributed to the high casualty risk.
