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More than 200 people died after a landslide destroyed part of a mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo this Friday (30). The accident occurred at the Rubaya mine, responsible for around 15% of the world’s production of coltan — a metal essential for the manufacture of cell phones, computers and gas turbines.
The region is under the control of the M23 rebel group. According to the United Nations (UN), the group plunders Rubaya’s mineral wealth to finance its insurgency, with support from neighboring Rwanda.
This is not the first incident of its kind in the area. In 2017, a similar landslide in the same region left more than 2,000 people dead, highlighting the recurrence of tragedies associated with local mineral exploration.
