Conflict coltan from DR Congo's Rubaya mines is laundered through Rwanda into global tech supply chains, Global Witness finds. M23 earns US$800,000 a month.
DR CONGO · GEOPOLITICS
Key Facts
—The investigation: A Global Witness report published on 10 June 2026 traces more than 2,000 tonnes of smuggled coltan from DR Congo’s Rubaya mines into global supply chains.
—Why Rubaya matters: The mines in North Kivu supply about 15 percent of the world’s tantalum, the metal behind capacitors in phones, laptops and cars.
—M23’s war chest: UN experts estimate the rebel group earns about US$800,000 a month by taxing the coltan trade at US$4 per kilogramme.
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Rubaya mine produces about 15% of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum, used in mobile phones
Rights groups have raised concerns over conditions at the mine, which supplies about 15 percent of the world's coltan.
