Rebel group in Congo generates $300,000 monthly in seized mining area, UN official says

Rebel group in Congo earns $300,000 monthly from mining, fueling conflict and humanitarian crisis in the region.

“A rebel group in Congo generates around $300,000 a month in revenue through its control of a mining area in the east of the country,” a United Nations official said.

“In April, the M23 — a rebel group with alleged links to Rwanda — seized the Rubaya mining area in eastern Congo, which holds deposits of a key mineral used in the production of smartphones and computers. Over 15% of the world’s supply of tantalum, a rare metal extracted from coltan, comes from Rubaya,” Bintou Keita, head of the U.N. mission in Congo, told the Security Council on Monday (September 30, 2024).

“Unless international sanctions are imposed on those benefiting from this criminal trade, peace will remain elusive and civilians will continue to suffer,” Ms. Keita said.

Tantalum is among the minerals that were identified earlier this year in a letter from Congo’s government questioning Apple about the tech company’s knowledge of “blood minerals” being smuggled in its supply chain.

The decadeslong conflict in eastern Congo has produced one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than 120 armed groups fighting for power, land and valuable mineral resources while others try to defend their communities. Some armed groups have been accused of mass killings, rapes and other human rights violations. The violence has displaced some 6 million people in the country's east.

M23, or the March 23 Movement, is a rebel military group mainly made up of ethnic Tutsis that broke away from the Congolese army just over a decade ago. They staged a large offensive in 2012 and took over the provincial capital of Goma near the border with Rwanda, the same city they are threatening again.

Congo alleges that Rwanda has been involved in war crimes in the east, and U.S. and U.N. experts accuse it of giving military backing to M23. Rwanda denies the claim, but in February admitted that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border.