By Femi Akinola
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The United Nation Security Council heard on Monday that the rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have consolidated control over the Rubaya coltan mining region of the country.
The rebels were reported to impose production tax estimated to generate around $300,000 in monthly revenue.
The M23 movement, a Tutsi-led organisation purportedly backed by Rwand, seized the Rubaya coltan mining area, which produces minerals used in smartphones and computers, following the intense fighting in April.
Congo is the world’s top producer of tantalum which is considered a critical mineral by the United States and the European Union.
Bintou Keita, head of the UN mission in Congo, told the Security Council that trade from minerals in the Rubaya area accounts for over 15% of global tantalum supply.
” This generates an estimated $300,000 in revenue per month to the armed group”, Keita said. ” This is deeply concerning and needs to be stopped.
” The criminal laundering of the DRC’s natural resource smuggled out of the country is strengthening armed groups, sustaining the exploitation of civilian populations, some of them reduced to de-facto slavery, and undermining peace-making efforts,” Keita added.
The majority of Congo’s mineral resources are situated in the east, a region plagued by conflict over land and resources between several armed factions.
The situation in the area has deteriorated since the resurgence of the M23 rebellion in March 2022. Thousands of people have been killed and over 1 million displaced since the resurgence in fighting.
