sesame, congo
AP
—
A landslide earlier this week caused the collapse of multiple mines at a major coltan mine in eastern Congo, killing at least 200 people, rebel officials said Saturday.
The collapse occurred on Wednesday at the Rubaya mine, which is controlled by the M23 rebel group, Lumumba Kambele Muyisa, the rebel-appointed spokesperson for the governor of North Kivu province, told The Associated Press. He said the landslide was caused by heavy rain.
“More than 200 people have died so far, some of whom are still in the mud and have not yet been recovered,” Muisa said. Several other people were injured and taken to three medical facilities in the town of Rubaya, he said, adding that ambulances were expected to take them to the nearest city, Goma, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) away, on Saturday.
Muisa said the rebel-appointed governor of North Kivu temporarily halted artisanal mining on the site and ordered the relocation of residents who had built shelters near the mine.
Former miners at the site told The Associated Press that the tunnels were dug by hand, poorly constructed and left unmaintained, causing repeated landslides.
“People are digging everywhere, without controls or safety measures. There can be as many as 500 miners in one pit, and the tunnels run in parallel, so one collapse can affect many pits at once,” Clovis Mafare said.
Rubaya, located in the heart of eastern Congo, a mineral-rich region of Central Africa, has been torn apart by violence by government forces and various armed groups, including the Rwandan-backed M23, for decades. The recent resurgence has intensified the conflict, exacerbating an already severe humanitarian crisis.
Congo is a major supplier of coltan, a black metal ore containing the rare metal tantalum, a key ingredient in the production of smartphones, computers and aircraft engines.
The country will produce about 40% of the world’s coltan in 2023, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, with Australia, Canada and Brazil among other major suppliers. More than 15% of the world’s tantalum supply comes from the Rubaya mine.
In May 2024, M23 captures the town and takes control of the mine. Since seizing Rubaya, the rebels have imposed taxes on the trade and transportation of coltan, earning them at least $800,000 a month, according to a United Nations report.
Eastern Congo has been in and out of crisis for decades. The various conflicts have caused the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with more than 7 million people displaced, including 100,000 this year.
Despite a U.S.-brokered agreement between the Congolese and Rwandan governments and ongoing negotiations between the rebels and Congo, fighting continues on multiple fronts in eastern Congo, resulting in numerous civilian and military casualties.
The Congo-Rwanda agreement gives the U.S. government and companies access to critical minerals.
