Rubaya Mine Collapse: DRC Gov’t Blames Rwanda & M23 for ‘Industrial-Scale Pillage’ Behind Deadly Landslide
Rubaya Mine Collapse: DRC Gov’t Blames Rwanda & M23 for ‘Industrial-Scale Pillage’ Behind Deadly Landslide
A landslide at a mining site in Rubaya, North Kivu, on January 28, killed at least 200–226 people, mostly artisanal miners, women, and children—many buried alive in unsafe pits, according to the DRC government and local media.
Key details:
▪The site has been in a zone officially classified as “red” since February 2025—banning all extraction—but illegal digging continued under “armed occupation,” with exploitation “orchestrated by Rwanda and the M23/AFC,” the DRC government stated.
▪Kinshasa said that “112 to 125 tonnes of coltan are extracted monthly” from Rubaya and “channeled exclusively to Rwanda,” fueling what it described as a “war economy.”
▪The incident follows a similar disaster in June 2025 that killed over 300—evidence, noted the statement, of a recurring pattern of civilian endangerment.
▪The DRC pointed to a “more than 200% increase” in Rwanda’s coltan exports (January–June 2025) as evidence of “fraudulent laundering of Congolese minerals” from occupied zones. Rwanda has yet to comment on allegations.
▪DRC Government Spokesman Patrick Muyaya released a video showing how mining sites in Rubaya expanded between April 2024 and March 2025—illustrating what Kinshasa calls “structured pillage” (video 2).
▪The DRC denounced the “manifest failure” of international traceability mechanisms and condemned foreign buyers who ignore the “red” status of Rubaya despite repeated alerts.
▪Rescue efforts are ongoing under difficult conditions; the death toll may rise, local media reported.
▪The mine was temporarily closed to recover bodies; survivors are being treated in Goma, reports said, citing M23-affiliated officials.
▪Despite the mourning, some miners have already returned to work in other pits, and shops have reopened, according to residents contacted by local media.
ℹ Rubaya—reportedly producing about 15% of the world’s coltan, a key component in electronics and aerospace—has been under M23/AFC control since 2024.
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