KEY POINTS
- M23 rebels control Congo’s coltan-rich Rubaya mining region.
- Rebel-imposed taxes generate $300,000 monthly for armed groups.
- U.N. urges action to curb illicit mineral trade funding conflicts.
The United Nations Security Council was told Monday that rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have consolidated control over the Rubaya coltan-mining region.
These rebels are imposing a production tax estimated to generate about $300,000 in monthly revenue.
M23 gains stronghold in critical mining area
The M23 movement, a Tutsi-led group reportedly backed by Rwanda, seized the area, which produces minerals used in smartphones and computers after intense fighting in April.
According to a report by Reuters, Bintou Keita, head of the U.N. mission in Congo, told the Security Council that trade from minerals in the Rubaya area accounts for more than 15% of the global tantalum supply.
Congo is the world’s top producer of tantalum, which is considered a critical mineral by the United States and the European Union.
Revenue from Coltan mining fuels armed conflict
“This generates an estimated $300,000 in revenue per month to the armed group,” Keita said.
Keita added that the criminal laundering of the DRC’s natural resources smuggled out of the country is strengthening armed groups. This illicit activity sustains the exploitation of civilian populations, reducing many to de facto slavery, and undermines ongoing peace-making efforts.
U.N. calls for sanctions to stop resource exploitation
Most of Congo’s mineral resources are in the east, a region plagued by conflict over land and resources among several armed factions. The situation has worsened since the resurgence of the M23 rebellion in March 2022.
Regulators are increasingly scrutinizing manufacturers to ensure they do not source metals for products such as laptops and electric vehicle batteries from conflict zones such as eastern Congo.
Keita noted that as profits from mining increase, armed groups have become “militarized entrepreneurs,” growing stronger militarily and financially. “Keita said that peace will remain elusive and civilians will continue to suffer unless the international community imposes sanctions on those benefiting from this criminal trade.”
