A catastrophic double landslide at the Rubaya mine in eastern Congo has reportedly claimed the lives of 200 people.
The tragedy struck the hillside mineral site on Wednesday and Thursday, burying artisanal miners beneath a sea of unstable earth.
Rescuers face a harrowing scene on the steep, rain-soaked slopes where thousands labor daily with only shovels and rubber boots.
The communication ministry expressed deep dismay as news of the disaster arrived in slow fragments via local motorbike couriers.
Rubaya is a vital source of the world’s coltan, a mineral essential for the production of global smartphone technology.
The M23 militia, allegedly backed by Rwanda, captured this strategic mining hub in April 2024 to fund their operations.
Ongoing conflict and severed phone networks have severely hampered efforts to verify the exact death toll in the remote region.
The Congolese government maintains that all mining activity in the area was officially banned as of February 2025.
Kinshasa has condemned the tragedy as a direct consequence of an organized system of looting by armed occupation forces.
United Nations experts estimate the M23 group generates hundreds of thousands of dollars monthly by taxing this illicit mineral trade.
Injured survivors are currently arriving at local health centers that lack the resources to manage such a massive influx.
The international community watches with heavy hearts as the search for the missing continues in the scarred, resource-rich hills.