- The Rubaya mine supplies 15% of the world’s coltan used in electronics.
- The victims included miners, children and women working at the site.
- A landslide occurs after heavy rains make the ground unstable.
More than 200 people were killed this week in the collapse of the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, said Lubumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesman for the rebel-appointed governor of the province where the mine is located. Reuters Friday.
Rubaya produces about 15% of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum, a heat-resistant metal in high demand by makers of cell phones, computers, aerospace components and gas turbines. The site, where residents dig manually for a few dollars a day, has been under the control of the AFC/M23 rebel group since 2024.
The collapse occurred on Wednesday and the precise toll was still unclear Friday evening.
“More than 200 people were victims of this landslide, including miners, children and traders. Some people were rescued just in time and were seriously injured,” Muyisa said, adding that around 20 injured people were being treated in 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.”
An adviser to the governor said the confirmed death toll was at least 227. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
The United Nations says the AFC/M23 plundered Rubaya’s wealth to help finance its insurgency, backed by the government of neighboring Rwanda, an allegation Kigali denies.
The heavily armed rebels, whose stated aim is to overthrow the government in Kinshasa and ensure the security of Congo’s Tutsi minority, seized even more mineral-rich territory in eastern Congo in a lightning advance last year.
