EASTERN CONGO, DRC — More than 200 people were killed this week after a landslide collapsed the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to local officials, in one of the deadliest mining disasters in the region in recent years.
The collapse occurred on Wednesday at the Rubaya mining site in North Kivu province, an area rich in strategic minerals but plagued by conflict and weak regulation. The precise death toll remained unclear as rescue efforts continued.
“More than 200 people were victims of this landslide, including miners, children, and market women,” Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of the province, told Reuters on Friday.
He said some victims were rescued with serious injuries and about 20 people were receiving treatment in health facilities.
An adviser to the governor, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media, put the confirmed death toll at at least 227.
Rubaya produces about 15pc of the world’s coltan, a key source of tantalum — a heat-resistant metal used in mobile phones, computers, aerospace components and gas turbines. Much of the mining at the site is done manually, with local workers digging underground pits for a few dollars a day.
Muyisa said the collapse was caused by unstable ground conditions during the rainy season.
“We are in the rainy season. The ground is fragile. It was the ground that gave way while the victims were in the hole,” he said.
The mine has been under the control of the AFC/M23 rebel group since 2024. The United Nations has previously accused the group of exploiting Rubaya’s mineral wealth to finance its insurgency, allegations that Rwanda — accused of backing the rebels — has denied.
The AFC/M23 rebels, whose stated objective is to overthrow the government in Kinshasa and protect the Congolese Tutsi minority, captured large swathes of mineral-rich territory in eastern Congo during a rapid advance last year.
Following the disaster, Türkiye on Sunday extended its condolences to the Democratic Republic of Congo over the loss of life.
Ankara said it was “deeply saddened” by the deaths, according to a statement issued by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
“We extend our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” the ministry said.
The tragedy has once again drawn attention to the deadly risks faced by artisanal miners in eastern Congo, where weak oversight, armed conflict and global demand for critical minerals continue to intersect with devastating human cost.
Story Credits/Reuters
