Mine collapses in Congo-Kinshasa

200 dead in rebel-controlled mine in Congo

At least 200 people have died after a mine in the Rubaya mining area in Congo-Kinshasa collapsed, local rebel-appointed politicians confirmed according to Reuters.

The landslide occurred on Wednesday, but on Friday evening it was still unclear how serious the accident is and the death toll is feared to rise further. In addition to miners, children and women at a nearby market have also been affected.

– We are in the rainy season, the ground is porous and the ground gave way, says the local governor, adding that about 20 people are being treated in hospital after the collapse.

Former employee critical: “People are digging everywhere”

More than 200 people have died since a landslide caused several mines to collapse at the Rubaya facility in eastern Congo-Kinshasa on Wednesday.

A former worker, Clovis Mafare, told the AP news agency that the hand-dug tunnels are poorly constructed and poorly maintained.

– People are digging everywhere, without control or safety measures. There can be up to 500 miners in one mine, and because the tunnels run parallel, a single landslide can affect many mines at the same time.

The mines mine coltan. The mineral-rich country accounted for about 40 percent of the world's coltan in 2023.

Violence in Congo-Kinshasa
M23 is believed to be plundering the mining town for its riches

The mine in Rubaya in Congo-Kinshasa, where at least 200 people have died, is controlled by the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23, reports Reuters.

The UN accuses M23 of plundering Rubaya of its natural resources to finance its brutal war against the government and that the miners work in slave-like conditions.

Around 15 percent of the world's coltan is mined in Rubaya. Coltan is a material that, in refined form, is important in the manufacture of telephones and computers, among other things.