The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government on Sunday said it fears “at least 200” people may have died after a massive landslide struck a mine site in the country’s conflict-hit east.
The landslide occurred at Rubaya, a coltan-rich mining area in North Kivu province currently under the control of the M23 armed group.
In a statement, the DRC’s communications ministry expressed “deep dismay” over the tragedy, describing the incident as a “massive” landslide with a heavy potential death toll.
According to information gathered by AFP, part of a hillside at the mining site collapsed on Wednesday afternoon, followed by a second landslide on Thursday morning.
Rubaya lies on steep hillsides cut by deep ravines and dirt roads that are often difficult to access, particularly during the rainy season.
The terrain and unstable slopes have long made the area vulnerable to such disasters.
The M23-appointed governor of North Kivu, Eraston Bahati Musanga, who visited the site on Friday, also told AFP that the death toll was “at least 200.”
He said some bodies had already been recovered from the debris, though he did not provide an exact number.
AFP said it could not independently verify the reported toll, as communication challenges continue to hamper access to information.
Phone networks in Rubaya have been down for several days, while Congolese authorities and civil society groups reportedly left the area when M23 forces arrived.
A humanitarian source said updates were coming in “dribs and drabs” through motorbike couriers moving across the region, making it difficult to confirm the scale of casualties.
Another humanitarian source noted that injured survivors were being taken to local health centres with limited capacity and resources.
Belgium’s embassy in Kinshasa also reacted to the disaster, expressing solidarity with victims and affected communities.
Rubaya is a major source of coltan, a mineral essential for electronics such as mobile phones and laptops.
The mine is believed to produce between 15 and 30 percent of the global supply.
Thousands of artisanal miners work daily in the pits under precarious conditions, often using only basic tools such as shovels and rubber boots.
The area has been under M23 control since April 2024, with the Congolese government accusing Rwanda of supporting the armed group an allegation Rwanda has repeatedly denied.
Eastern DRC, which borders Rwanda and Burundi, has faced decades of insecurity and armed conflict.
United Nations experts say the M23 has established a parallel administrative structure in Rubaya to oversee mining activities since taking control of the site.
UN experts estimate the group generates about $800,000 monthly from the mine through a tax system that reportedly charges $7 per kilogram on coltan production and sales.
They have also accused Rwanda of using the group to siphon mineral wealth from the DRC.
In its statement on Sunday, the Congolese government urged the international community to recognise the scale of the disaster, blaming it on “armed occupation and an organised system of looting” by the Rwanda-backed militia.
The government added that although mining and commercial activity in Rubaya had been banned since February 2025, between 112 and 125 tonnes of minerals are still extracted monthly and allegedly sent “exclusively to Rwanda.”
