Along the white-streaked hills of Rubaya, specks of movement dot the slopes as miners — many of them boys — haul sacks of coltan and manganese. These rare minerals, essential for powering smartphones, electric cars, and even medical implants, lie at the heart of one of the world’s deadliest and most overlooked conflicts.
At the Rubaya mine, Patrice Musafiri, an M23-appointed manager, dips his hands into a bucket of black stones. “Coltan,” he declares. “Without it, modern life cannot function. Everyone in the world needs what is here.”
But the people of Congo, among the poorest on Earth, see none of the wealth. Instead, the mineral wealth has fueled brutal conflict and foreign intervention for over two decades — a struggle The Times UK describes as one now spiraling into a more globalized crisis, where rebels, multinationals, and state actors all seek control.
M23: Rebels Turned Rulers
The M23 rebel group, backed by Rwanda, now operates as a de facto government in much of North Kivu province. Their swift military gains have carved out a “liberated zone” where they collect taxes, run security forces, and hold public ceremonies.
The Times UK reports that since M23 seized control of Rubaya, coltan exports from neighboring Rwanda — which has minimal coltan of its own — have doubled. Western sanctions label Congolese coltan as a “conflict mineral,” but Rwandan exports are not similarly restricted. This loophole, watchdog Global Witness found, allows conflict coltan to enter European supply chains disguised as Rwandan.
“About 80%,” estimates Musafiri, when asked by The Times whether the coltan in a journalist’s phone could be from Rubaya.
Human Toll: ‘It’s Always the People Who Are the Victims’
In nearby Sake, families bear the cost of this mineral war. Tumusifu Chance, 25, says she’s never seen gold or coltan — only lava rocks from a nearby volcano. Her mother, Adeline, lost three grandchildren in crossfire. “They are fighting over the mines,” she tells The Times, “but it’s always the people who are the victims.”
The displaced have flooded Goma and its surrounding camps. When M23 took Goma, camps holding 800,000 people were emptied. Returning civilians now face land mines, ruined homes, and no aid — especially since the Trump-era cutoff of nearly $1 billion in U.S. assistance left humanitarian agencies gutted.
Global Chessboard: Rwanda, Trump, and China
The fight for Congo’s minerals has drawn in foreign interests. Rwanda, long accused by the UN of using M23 as a proxy force, denies involvement, though Rwandan troops and weapons have been traced across the border.
The DRC government, on the defensive, even appealed directly to former U.S. President Donald Trump in February, offering mineral access in exchange for help. Meanwhile, Erik Prince — the founder of the notorious Blackwater — reportedly visited the region to discuss mercenary deployments.
China already dominates Congo’s mining sector through long-term infrastructure-for-minerals deals, signed under previous governments. While Washington courts Kigali, Beijing maintains a grip on the mineral flow, underscoring the high-stakes geopolitical game playing out over Congolese soil.
Rape, Displacement, and the Collapse of Healthcare
M23’s advance has led to widespread war crimes. At Kyeshero Hospital in Goma, government soldier Jean Mutombo Mukendi was being treated for war wounds when rebels stormed the ward. He was beaten but escaped. Hospital director Fabrice Bishenge said over 200 rape victims have been admitted, many children. In a nearby prison, 150 women were raped and burned alive.
UNICEF has documented a surge in child rape. The UN accuses all sides — M23, government forces, and militias — of using sexual violence as a weapon of war. “Security is not restored,” says Bishenge. “We hear gunshots every night.”
A Proxy Army With Political Ambition
Corneille Nangaa, a former election commissioner turned rebel leader, now heads M23’s political wing, the Congo River Alliance. Once an ally of President Félix Tshisekedi, Nangaa claims to have rigged the 2018 election in Tshisekedi’s favor — and now denounces him as corrupt.
Despite being sentenced to death by Kinshasa and sanctioned by the West, Nangaa insists he and M23 are “revolutionaries, not rebels.” He promises to march on Kinshasa. “The people want change,” he tells The Times.
At rallies in Goma, M23 fighters parade through streets as recruiting officers call for more volunteers. The group claims its fight stems from discrimination against Tutsis in Congo, drawing on ethnic wounds that stretch back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
International Paralysis, Local Despair
While the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) falters, and international negotiations stall, M23 entrenches its control. The group now stamps passports, issues visas, and governs territory the UN says it intends to occupy long-term.
The Times UK concludes that the war in eastern Congo — sparked by the pursuit of génocidaires, fueled by coltan, and shaped by decades of neglect — has now entered a phase where the minerals that power the global economy are driving mass suffering in the heart of Africa.
