Mining disaster in Congo sparks accusations of Rwandan looting

Heavy rains and landslides at the Rubaya coltan site in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have killed at least 200 people, and Congo's government says profits from the unregulated coltan trade are financing the Rwanda-linked M23 militia.

A landslide caused by heavy rains struck the Rubaya coltan mining area in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and officials reported at least 200 people killed. Rubaya is a large informal mining zone that supplies a significant share of global coltan, a mineral used to make tantalum for electronic devices. Thousands of small-scale miners work there under informal conditions. The incident has prompted renewed attention to the unregulated mineral trade and competing claims about who benefits from its revenues. Key reported facts: - Officials reported at least 200 deaths after landslides at the Rubaya mining site; some local accounts say the toll could be higher and some people remain missing. - The Congolese government accused the M23 rebel group and Rwanda of pillaging Rubaya and said the militia has collected about US$800,000 monthly from taxes on the coltan trade and helped raise Rwanda's coltan exports by over 200 percent last year. - M23 said the collapse resulted from exceptional weather and said it would arrange burials and hospital care for survivors; at least 20 injured people are reported to be receiving treatment. - United Nations investigators have reported evidence of extensive Rwandan military involvement that they say gives Rwanda effective command of M23 and documented the militia's control over significant mineral production in eastern provinces. Summary: The disaster has highlighted safety risks at informal mineral sites and intensified scrutiny of how coltan revenues flow in eastern Congo. Authorities, the militia, and UN investigators have offered differing accounts about responsibility and control. Undetermined at this time.