Rubaya, DR Congo’s coltan mining town, is under M23 rebel control

After days of fierce combat, M23 rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have taken control of Rubaya, a vital mining town for the mineral coltan used in smartphones, according to a rebel spokesman.

Since the 1990s, conflicts for national identity, ethnicity, and resources have resulted in invasions by neighboring nations and the emergence of numerous armed groups, killing millions in the east of the Congo.

The town in North Kivu was under their control after they pursued other armed organizations in the area, such as the Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, which is made up of ethnic Hutus, according to Willy Ngoma, the Tutsi-led M23 military spokesman, who spoke to Reuters.

Lieutenant Colonel Guillaume Njike, the Congolese army’s spokesman for its operations against the rebel group, told Reuters that the army was unable to verify whether the rebels had taken control of the town.

“We are in the process of cross-checking since yesterday whether or not it has fallen to the hands of the M23 rebels,” Njike stated.

When Reuters asked a Congolese government official for remarks, he did not reply.

The majority of Congo’s mineral riches are found in its east, where since the M23’s significant resurgence in March 2022, there has been an increase in insecurity.

Rich amounts of tantalum, a crucial material for energy transition that is also used to make gaming consoles, laptops, and cellphones, can be found in Rubaya. Tantalum is derived from coltan.

Since the commencement of their current onslaught, the M23 have already seized possession of Rubaya twice in the last few days.

Western countries, the UN, and the Congolese government have all accused Rwanda of supporting M23; Rwanda has always refuted these accusations.

The town is surrounded by the rebels, a teenage leader in the area said over the phone to Reuters.

Clovis Mafare stated, “There is a large displacement of the population because the clashes are intense,” noting that the town’s mining quarries were unoccupied.

Rubaya was originally ruled by the Wazalendo, a militia group that supported the government.

In December, the UN reported that Wazalendo armed factions were in control of locations inside the main exploitation perimeters, endangering the supply chain for tungsten, tantalum, and tin.

Control over the illegal trade in gold, tin, coltan, and tantalum—all of which are mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and are smuggled out through Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi—has given rise to conflicts.

Apple is presently under pressure from the Congolese government to provide more details about its supply chain due to worries that conflict minerals may have poisoned it.

Apple said that it could not find any evidence to suggest that any of the refiners or smelters in its supply chain supported or helped armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or a neighboring nation.