Goma, Congo AP — A landslide earlier this week collapsed several mines at a major coltan A landslide earlier this week collapsed several mines at a major coltan mining site in eastern Congo , leaving at least 200 people dead, rebel authorities said Saturday. The collapse took place Wednesday at the Rubaya mines, which are controlled by the M23 rebels, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, the spokesperson of the rebel-appointed governor of North-Kivu province told The Associated Press. The country produced about 40 percent of the world’s coltan in 2023, according to the US Geological Survey, with Australia, Canada and Brazil being other big suppliers. Despite the signing of a deal between the Congolese and Rwandan governments brokered by the U.S. and ongoing negotiations between rebels and Congo, fighting continues on several fronts in eastern Congo, continuing to claim numerous civilian and military casualties. The deal between Congo and Rwanda also opens up access to critical minerals for the U.S. government and American companies.
