At Least 200 Feared Dead After Landslides Hit Coltan Mine in Eastern DR Congo

At least 200 people are feared dead following a series of landslides at a major coltan mining site in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an area under the control of the M23 armed group.

The disaster occurred at the Rubaya mine in North Kivu province, a strategic site that supplies an estimated 15 to 30 percent of the world’s coltan—an essential mineral used in the manufacture of electronic devices such as smartphones and laptops.

According to the Congolese communications ministry, a large section of the hillside collapsed midweek, triggering deadly landslides that buried miners working at the site. The ministry said it was deeply distressed by the scale of the tragedy and warned that the death toll could be significant.

Information gathered by AFP indicates that the first collapse happened on Wednesday afternoon, followed by another landslide early Thursday morning.

Rubaya is located on steep, erosion-prone hills crisscrossed by narrow dirt roads that often become inaccessible during the rainy season. Thousands of artisanal miners work there daily under hazardous conditions, relying mainly on basic tools such as shovels and wearing minimal protective gear.

The M23-appointed governor of North Kivu, Eraston Bahati Musanga, who visited the site on Friday, said at least 200 bodies were believed to be trapped beneath the debris. While some bodies have been recovered, authorities have not released an official figure.

Independent verification of the casualty toll has proven difficult due to communication challenges in the area. Phone networks have reportedly been down for days, while government officials and civil society groups left the region after M23 forces took control.

Humanitarian sources said details are slowly emerging through informal channels, including motorbike couriers moving between communities. Survivors injured in the landslides have been taken to nearby health facilities that are already struggling with limited medical supplies.

Reacting to the incident, Belgium’s embassy in Kinshasa expressed sympathy and solidarity with victims and their families.

Eastern DR Congo has endured decades of instability and violence, particularly in mineral-rich regions bordering Rwanda and Burundi. The M23 group, which resurfaced in 2021, seized Rubaya in April 2024 with alleged support from Rwanda.

United Nations experts say the militia has established a parallel administrative system to oversee mining operations in Rubaya. The group is estimated to earn around $800,000 monthly from coltan production through taxes imposed on miners and traders.

UN investigators have also accused Rwanda—an allegation Kigali denies—of backing the M23 and benefiting from the illegal export of Congolese minerals.

On Sunday, authorities in Kinshasa called on the international community to recognise the severity of the disaster, blaming it on what they described as armed occupation and a structured system of mineral exploitation.

Although the government said all mining and commercial activity in Rubaya was officially banned in February 2025, it noted that between 112 and 125 tonnes of coltan are still extracted each month and transported exclusively to Rwanda.