M23 rebels deny claims that they stole gold from a mine in eastern Congo
The M23 military group refuted claims on Thursday that its members had stolen at least 500 kg of gold from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Twangiza Mining concession.
A company that works in the South Kivu province, which is largely controlled by M23, claimed this week that M23 had “secretly transported (the gold) through underground channels.”
Additionally, the rebels were suspected of using Rwandan technicians to gather geological data in order to restart and increase mining.
Notwithstanding repeated claims by Western and regional governments as well as U.N. experts, Rwanda has continuously denied supporting M23 militants.
The commander of a rebel coalition that includes M23, Corneille Nangaa, stated at a press conference on Thursday that only artisanal miners were employed at the mine and that it was not operational.
According to him, M23 lacked the tools required to run a mine.
In addition, Nangaa has charged that Congolese government forces employed aerial bombs to target the location. He did not give a casualty toll, but he did say that civilians had been killed in those attacks.
The mine’s power generation infrastructure was damaged by a drone strike on October 15, according to the firm. Who was in charge of the drone strike is unknown.
When asked about the accusation, the Congolese government did not reply.
During this year’s lightning offensive, M23 was able to capture more area in eastern Congo than they had previously. In May, the group took the mine.
In addition to losing $5 million in supplies and equipment since the takeover, Twangiza reported losing more than 100 kilograms of gold every month.
The business has declared force majeure and is getting ready to formally protest to Congolese authorities and foreign arbitration.
In mineral-rich eastern Congo, armed groups have taken control of many mining sites, U.N. investigators have said.
Mineral taxes in the coltan-rich Rubaya region provide about $300,000 per month for M23 rebels, according to a U.N. Security Council briefing last year.
