The administration of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced on Sunday that they are bracing for reports of "at least 200 fatalities" resulting from a substantial landslide that impacted a mine controlled by militia forces in the eastern part of the nation.
Since reemerging in 2021, the M23 militia has taken control of extensive areas in the resource-laden eastern DRC, including the capture of the Rubaya mine in North Kivu province in April 2024, reportedly aided by Rwandan forces.
Witnesses recounted that a section of a hillside in the mining area crumbled on Wednesday afternoon, followed by a second landslide occurring on Thursday morning.
Eraston Bahati Musanga, the governor appointed by the M23, shared with AFP that the casualty count has reached "at least 200 deaths."
However, AFP was unable to independently confirm this figure.
Connectivity issues have hampered communication as phone networks in the area have been unavailable for several days, and it was reported that both Congolese government representatives and civil society organizations evacuated the region when M23 forces took control.
A humanitarian source informed AFP that updates are slowly trickling in via motorcycle couriers operating in the vicinity, complicating efforts to ascertain the precise number of deaths.
The Rubaya mine is responsible for producing approximately 15 to 30 percent of the world's coltan, an essential element used in manufacturing electronic devices, including laptops and smartphones.
Experts estimate that the M23 generates close to $800,000 monthly from the mine due to a $7 tax imposed on the production and sale of coltan.
Furthermore, United Nations specialists have accused Rwanda of utilizing the M23 to extract and exploit the mineral wealth of the DRC, a claim that Rwanda has denied.
On Sunday, the Congolese government appealed to "the international community to genuinely comprehend the magnitude of this disaster," which has been attributed to "armed occupation and a systematic looting scheme" orchestrated by the Rwanda-supported group.
Beyond holding over 60 percent of the global coltan reserves, the broader eastern region of the DRC is also rich in gold and tin deposits.
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