A landslide earlier this week collapsed several mines at a major coltan mining site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), leaving at least 200 people dead, rebel authorities said yesterday.
The collapse took place on Wednesday at the Rubaya mines, which are controlled by the M23 rebels, said Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, the spokesperson of the rebel-appointed governor of North Kivu Province.
The landslide was caused by heavy rains, he said.
Photo: Reuters
“For now, there are more than 200 dead, some of whom are still in the mud and have not yet been recovered,” Muyisa said.
Several others were injured and taken to three health facilities in Rubaya, and ambulances were expected to transfer the wounded yesterday to Goma, the nearest city about 50km away, he added.
Artisanal mining on the side has been temporarily halted and residents who built shelters near the mine are to be relocated, Muyisa said.
A former miner at the site said there have been repeated landslides because the tunnels are dug by hand, poorly constructed and left without maintenance, he said.
“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,” Clovis Mafare said.
DR Congo is a major supplier of coltan, a black metallic ore that contains the rare metal tantalum, a key component in the production of smartphones, computers and aircraft engines.
The country produced about 40 percent of the world’s coltan in 2023, according to the US Geological Survey, with Australia, Canada and Brazil being other big suppliers.
More than 15 percent of the world’s supply of tantalum come from Rubaya’s mines.
In May 2024, the M23 seized the town and took control of its mines.
A UN report said that since seizing Rubaya, the rebels have imposed taxes on the trade and transport of coltan, generating at least US$800,000 a month.
Eastern DR Congo has been in and out of crisis for decades. Various conflicts have created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, including 100,000 who fled homes this year.
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