DR Congo Landslide: 200 Feared Dead at Militia-Controlled Coltan Mine

• A massive landslide at the Rubaya coltan mine in North Kivu province, DR Congo, is feared to have killed at least 200 people.
• The mine is controlled by the M23 rebel group, which seized Rubaya in April 2024 with alleged backing from Rwanda.
• Rubaya is a significant source of coltan, accounting for 15-30% of global supply, mined by thousands of artisanal workers in unsafe conditions.
• Communication outages and the M23 takeover have hampered efforts to assess the full scale of the disaster and provide aid.
• The Congolese government blames the tragedy on the armed occupation and looting system by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia.

Why It Matters: A devastating landslide at a militia-controlled coltan mine in DR Congo has left 200 feared dead.