DRC: At least 200 killed in landslide at Rubaya mine site controlled by M23

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) stated this in a press release on Sunday^is February to Agence France-Presse (AFP), fearing a death toll“at least 200 dead” in a landslide « massive » took place on Wednesday at the important mining site of Rubaya (East), controlled by the Congo River Alliance/March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) rebel movement.

The Rubaya mines, where mainly artisanal miners work in precarious conditions, produce between 15 and 30% of the world’s coltan. Since April 2024, they have been under the control of the armed group M23, backed by Rwanda. The east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has at least 60% of the world’s reserves of this ore, from which tantalum, essential for the manufacture of modern electronic equipment, is extracted.

The region has been wracked by conflict for 30 years and has seen a resurgence of violence since 2021 with the resurgence of the armed group M23, which, backed by Kigali and its army, seized the major cities of Goma and Bukavu in January and February 2025. The Rubaya site, which extends over several dozen square kilometers, is located about 70 kilometers west of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

According to still very partial information obtained by AFP, a section of hill broke off from the huge damaged area on Wednesday afternoon. Another landslide occurred on Thursday morning.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars a month

The M23-appointed governor of North Kivu province, Eraston Bahati Musanga, who visited the site on Friday, reported to AFP an assessment of“at least 200 dead”although this figure cannot be confirmed by independent sources. This M23 official also claimed that bodies had been recovered from the rubble, without providing figures.

In this remote area of ​​the huge Central African country, the telephone network has been cut for several days. The Congolese government and civil society organizations fled the area when the M23 arrived. The information reaches “drop by drop by motorcyclists circulating” in the region, making an exact assessment not possible at this stage, a humanitarian source contacted by AFP explained.

According to UN experts, the M23 has established itself in Rubaya “an administration comparable to that of a state”specifically by creating a “ministry responsible for the exploitation of minerals” who delivers “permits for diggers and economic operators”.

The armed group’s taxation of mining activities earns it several hundred thousand dollars a month, thanks to a tax levied on the production and trade of coltan, again according to UN experts.

Kinshasa called on Sunday “The international community must take the full measure of this tragedy”consequence, according to the Congolese government, “of an armed occupation and an organized system of plunder” by the M23 and Rwanda.