Hundreds die in a mine collapse in Congo

At least 200 people, including children, died after a mine collapsed in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Rubaya mines hold 15% of the world’s coltan, a mineral used in phones, much of it mined illegally. M23, a rebel group backed by Rwanda, has controlled them since 2024. Congo’s government, which reportedly included Rubaya in a minerals deal with America in December, blamed the deaths on the rebels, whom it accuses of looting the mines on Rwanda’s behalf. There is evidence Congolese minerals are exported through Rwanda, which denies this. Mining conditions are terrible across Congo. Accidents are common.■