The Spokesperson for the Rebel-appointed Governor in North Kivu, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa has confirmed that more than 200 people have been killed after a mine collapsed at the Rubaya coltan mine in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
According to Kambere Muyisa, the mine is located some 60km Northwest of Goma city, the provincial capital of North Kivu province and it collapsed after a landslide.
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Kambere said that More than 200 people were victims of this landslide, including miners, children and women who operated makeshiftfood market near the site and some people were rescued just in time and have serious injuries and about 20 injured people were being treated in nearby health facilities.
“We are in the rainy season. The ground is fragile. It was the ground that gave way while the victims were in the hole,” Kambere explained.
The Governor of North Kivu Province appointed by the M23 rebel group, Eraston Bahati Musanga, confirmed that some bodies have been recovered, while Franck Bolingo, an artisanal miner interviewed at Rubaya said tgat people were believed to be still trapped inside the mine.
“It rained, then the landslide happened and swept people away. Some were buried alive, and others are still trapped in the shafts,” Bolingo said.
Rubaya produces about 15% of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum, a heat-resistant metal that is in high demand by makers of mobile phones, computers, aerospace components and gas turbines.
It is reported that at the mine, locals dig manually for a few dollars per day and the site has been under the control of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group since 2024.
The heavily-armed M23 rebels, whose aim is to overthrow the Democratic Republic of Congo government in the capital Kinshasa, captured even more mineral-rich territory in the East of the country during a lightning advance last year.
The United Nations has accused M23 rebels group of plundering Rubaya’s resources to help fund their rebellion, backed by Rwanda, an allegation that the government in Kigali has over the years denied.
