The artisanal Rubaya mining site, which is nestled among the green hills of Masisi territory in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), hums with generators as hundreds of men labor hand-to-export coltan, a crucial mineral used to manufacture modern electronics and defense technology.
Rubaya, a mineral-rich region of the Central African nation that has long been a source of conflict between government forces and various armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, whose recent resurgence has caused the violence to become even more severe.
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has negotiated a deal with the Trump administration that would grant him access to minerals in exchange for his assistance in halting the armed uprising and boosting security as the US leads peace talks between Rwanda and the DRC.
Analysts speculated that Rubaya might be one of the mining sites that fall under the purview of the deal, though more details are still undetermined.
The Eastern DRC has endured decades of crisis. More than 7 million people have been displaced due to the conflict, including 100, 000 of the 100,000 who have fled their homes this year, making it one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world.
The Congolese government and rebel groups have been engaged in fighting between the Rubaya mines.
The M23 rebels have controlled the mines for more than a year, leading to a major escalation of hostilities when they advanced and took control of Goma and Bukavu earlier this year.
More than 70% of Congolese people can survive on less than $2.15 per day despite having extraordinary mineral wealth.
Little has changed for the men who depend on mining for their livelihoods in Rubaya’s mines over the years.
Jean Baptiste Bigirimana, a miner for seven years, said, “I earn $40 per month, but that’s not enough.”
Children require education, clothing, and food. He said, “I realize it’s not enough when I divide the money up to look after my children,” adding that he is unsure of where the minerals he mines end up.
The metals tantalum and niobium are extracted from an ore known as coltan, which stands for columbite-tantalite. Both China, Japan, and the United States view them as crucial raw materials.
Tantalum is used in GPS systems, mobile phones, computers, and other automotive electronics, as well as in aircraft engines and other missile components. Pipelines, rockets, and jet engines use niobium.
According to the US Geological Survey, the DRC provided about 40% of the world’s carbon in 2023, with additional significant suppliers coming from Australia, Canada, and Brazil.
The M23 has imposed taxes on the monthly trade and transport of 120 tonnes of coltan, generating at least $800,000 a month, since seizing Rubaya in April of last year, according to a UN report.
Coltrane’s arrival in Western nations is not simple, according to experts.
Analysts warn that if a mineral deal were to be implemented in the eastern DRC, there would be many obstacles, especially given that US investors have largely abandoned the nation in the last 20 years.
US companies would have to deal with security concerns as well as a severe lack of infrastructure if the deal included Rubaya, where all mining is currently done manually.
Regardless of who controls the mines, Bahati Moise, a trader who resells coltan from Rubaya’s mines, hopes that the miners’ workers will eventually be valued just as much as the resources themselves.
