Mine collapse in eastern Congo kills at least 200
A landslide struck a major coltan mining site in eastern Congo earlier this week, collapsing several tunnels and killing at least 200 people, according to rebel authorities. The incident occurred on Wednesday at the Rubaya mines, controlled by the M23 rebel group, with heavy rains cited as the cause. Officials said dozens of miners remain trapped in the mud, while others were injured and treated at local health centers, with plans to transfer the most seriously wounded to Goma, about 30 miles away.
The rebel-appointed governor of North Kivu has temporarily suspended artisanal mining at the site and ordered residents living near the mines to relocate. The Congolese government condemned the operation as unsafe and illegal, expressing solidarity with the victims’ families. A former miner at Rubaya explained that repeated landslides are common because tunnels are dug by hand, poorly reinforced, and left unmaintained. “People dig everywhere, without control or safety measures. In a single pit, there can be as many as 500 miners, and because the tunnels run parallel, one collapse can affect many pits at once,” he said.
Rubaya sits in eastern Congo, a region rich in minerals but plagued by decades of armed conflict. The area is a significant source of coltan, a metallic ore containing tantalum, used in smartphones, computers, and aircraft engines. In 2023, Congo accounted for roughly 40% of global coltan production, with the Rubaya mines supplying over 15% of the world’s tantalum. Since M23 seized the town in May 2024, the group has controlled the mines and imposed taxes on the trade, reportedly generating at least $800,000 a month.
Eastern Congo has experienced repeated humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced over decades and over 300,000 fleeing their homes since December. Despite a U.S.-brokered agreement between Congo and Rwanda and ongoing negotiations with rebel groups, fighting continues across the region, causing civilian and military casualties. The mineral-rich area also remains strategically important, with access to its resources sought by the Congolese government and international companies, including U.S. firms.
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