Inside the M23’s mining economy: why abuses at eastern DRC’s coltan sites go unchecked
Inside the M23’s mining economy: why abuses at eastern DRC’s coltan sites go unchecked
Amnesty International has accused the Kigali-backed armed group M23 of committing grave human rights violations against artisanal miners in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the rebels derive substantial revenue from mineral extraction, according to a report released Monday.
- Published on 21-09-2026 at 14:24
- in Kinshasa, Congo Kin
Since its resurgence in 2021, the M23 has seized large swaths of territory in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a region abundant in natural resources. Among its key captures is the mining town of Rubaya, which accounts for 15% of global coltan production, a strategic mineral essential to the worldwide electronics industry.
According to United Nations experts, the armed group has imposed a levy on mineral production and trade in Rubaya, a claim the M23 has consistently denied.
In a report released Monday, Amnesty International alleges that M23 fighters carried out “summary executions,” “torture and other ill-treatment,” “arbitrary detention,” “forced labor,” and “forced recruitment” at mining sites under the group’s control.
The organization documented the “summary execution of 18 artisanal miners” in Rubaya, located in North Kivu province, and at the Lomera artisanal gold mine in neighboring South Kivu province.
“According to witnesses and victims’ families, 10 were beaten to death, two were shot, and six were abducted and later found dead,” the report states.
Miners “told Amnesty International they were beaten if they asked for breaks, refused to hand over their ore, or disobeyed orders, even in minor ways,” the text adds.
Over 20 miners in Rubaya were held in underground cells and “beaten three times a day” by M23 fighters, the NGO reports.
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