Name: Rebel group M23 says hundreds are dead after landslides bury mine in DR Congo | DW New
Uploaded: 2026-01-31T12:39:53.000Z
Duration: 3 min 13 s
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Massive landslides in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have collapsed a militia held mine burying workers beneath a hillside.

The exact number of casualties is unclear, but rebel officials say at least 200 have been killed.

Many bodies remain buried in the mud while those injured are being treated in nearby health facilities.

Witnesses say the hillside collapsed after heavy rain.

The mine produces coltan used in the manufacturing of, of electronics.

DW correspondent Sala Aneko joins us now from Nairobi.

Sala, what more can you tell us about this disaster?

Yes, while the disaster happened in Rubaiya Mine, which is a mine in North Kivu in eastern drc, which is an area under the control of the militia group M23, the group has been controlling large parts of eastern DRC for a year now and the mine for almost two years now.

What is very significant about this mine is that it produces about 15% of the world's coal ton and most of it is mined by artisanal miners.

And so that means that there's very little infrastructure, there's very little, there's very little safeguards and security and regulations that you would find in a regulated mine.

So what we know is that, or what we heard is that the, that the landslide happened due to heavy rains on Wednesday and again on Thursday.

And according to the authorities, the M23 authorities, about 200 people were killed.

But as you say, the rescue efforts are still ongoing and it's very unclear if there were more people killed.

So that's, that's information that we have at the moment.

Again, Celia, you just mentioned that this happened on Wednesday.

Why is it that we only started getting information within the past 24 hours or so?

Yes, well, it is because the area is controlled by the militia group M23 and they're allowing very few journalists into the region.

So some journalists were apparently permitted to go to the mine, which is how you're seeing pictures coming from there at the moment.

And so that is why this information is trickling out very slowly.

What is also very unclear is that they say that their rescue efforts are ongoing, but

it is unclear who is conducting these rescue efforts, if there are any professional organizations there with them on board to kind of try and recover people and also get to the people who are still trapped in the mines.

So that is the situation there at the moment.

it's due to the fact that it's controlled by a militia group, it is difficult to get any information out of there at the moment.

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Rebel group M23 says hundreds are dead after landslides bury mine in DR Congo | DW New

massive

significant

apparently

situation