Over 200 feared dead in rebel-held Congo mine collapse
A catastrophic landslide at a coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has killed more than 200 people, according to local rebel authorities.
The collapse occurred Wednesday at the Rubaya mine in North Kivu province, an area controlled by the M23 rebel group.
Heavy rains are cited as the cause. Rescue efforts continued Friday, with many victims still buried in the mud.
Rubaya is a significant global source of coltan, a mineral vital for producing electronics like mobile phones and computers. The site is worked by artisanal miners digging manually for meager wages.
The rebel-appointed provincial governor has temporarily halted mining and ordered residents near the site to relocate.
The UN accuses M23, which is backed by neighboring Rwanda according to international reports, of plundering the region’s minerals to fund its insurgency. Rwanda denies the allegation.
The disaster underscores the deadly human cost of the conflict and the informal mining that fuels global supply chains.
