Mine collapses in eastern Congo, leaving at least 200 dead
[January 31, 2026]
By JUSTIN KABUMBA, RUTH ALONGA AND MARK BANCHEREAU
GOMA, Congo (AP) — A landslide earlier this week collapsed several mines
at a major coltan mining site in eastern Congo, leaving at least 200
people dead, rebel authorities said Saturday.
The collapse took place Wednesday at the Rubaya mines, which are
controlled by the M23 rebels, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, the spokesperson
of the rebel-appointed governor of North-Kivu province told The
Associated Press. He said the landslide was caused by heavy rains.
“For now, there are more than 200 dead, some of whom are still in the
mud and have not yet been recovered,” Muyisa said. He added that several
others were injured and taken to three health facilities in the town of
Rubaya, while ambulances were expected to transfer the wounded Saturday
to Goma, the nearest city around 50 kilometers (30 miles) away.
The rebel-appointed governor of North Kivu has temporarily halted
artisanal mining on the site and ordered the relocation of residents who
had built shelters near the mine, Muyisa said.
A former miner at the site told The Associated Press there have been
repeated landslides because the tunnels are dug by hand, poorly
constructed, and left without maintenance.
“People dig everywhere, without control or safety measures. In a single
pit, there can be as many as 500 miners, and because the tunnels run
parallel, one collapse can affect many pits at once,” Clovis Mafare
said.
Rubaya lies in the heart of eastern Congo, a mineral-rich part of the
Central African nation which for decades has been ripped apart by
violence from government forces and different armed groups, including
the Rwanda-backed M23, whose recent resurgence has escalated the
conflict, worsening an already acute humanitarian crisis.
Congo is a major supplier of coltan, a black metallic ore that contains
the rare metal tantalum, a key component in the production of
smartphones, computers and aircraft engines.
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Miners work at the D4 Gakombe coltan mining quarry in Rubaya, Congo,
May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)
The country produced about 40 percent of the world’s coltan in 2023,
according to the U.S. Geological Survey, with Australia, Canada and
Brazil being other big suppliers. Over 15% of the world’s supply of
tantalum from Rubaya’s mines.
In May 2024, M23 seized the town and took control of its mines.
According to a U.N. report, since seizing Rubaya, the rebels have
imposed taxes on the trade and transport of coltan, generating at
least $800,000 a month.
Eastern Congo has been in and out of crisis for decades. Various
conflicts have created one of the world’s largest humanitarian
crises with more than 7 million people displaced, including more
than 300,000 who have fled their homes since December.
Despite the signing of a deal between the Congolese and Rwandan
governments brokered by the U.S. and ongoing negotiations between
rebels and Congo, fighting continues on several fronts in eastern
Congo, continuing to claim numerous civilian and military
casualties.
The deal between Congo and Rwanda also opens up access to critical
minerals for the U.S. government and American companies.
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Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.
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