Congo: Over 200 Dead in Cobalt Mine Collapse Amid Informal Hand-Digging

More than 200 people died in the Democratic Republic of Congo after a coltan (columbite-tantalite) mine collapsed in Rubaya, eastern DRC. An M23-appointed provincial governor’s spokesperson confirmed the toll to Reuters. The Rubaya mine supplies roughly 15% of the world’s coltan — processed to extract tantalum, a high-melting-point metal critical for smartphones, laptops, turbines, and aerospace components. Operated since 2024 by the M23 rebel group, the site employs local workers who dig manually for just a few dollars daily. The collapse occurred on January 28; official figures remain unclear. According to the spokesperson, ‘more than 200 people were victims of this landslide, including miners, children, and women selling goods.’ Some survivors were rescued at the last moment with severe injuries. An anonymous provincial advisor confirmed at least 227 fatalities. The UN accuses M23 of plundering Rubaya’s mineral wealth to fund its war — allegedly backed by Rwanda’s government, which Kigali denies. Heavily armed M23 fighters, claiming to protect the Tutsi minority and overthrow the DRC government, seized additional mineral-rich territories during their rapid 2025 offensive across eastern Congo.