Story perspectives

Amnesty Warns M23 Abuses at DRC Mines Could Be War Crimes

By Drooid · Sep 21, 2026, 11:31 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

M23 Abuses Miners

M23 fighters commit severe human rights abuses against artisanal miners in the DRC.
Amnesty International documents at least 18 miners killed—10 beaten, 2 shot, 6 kidnapped then found dead.
M23 forced miners to work underground for over a week in Rubaya coltan mines and Lomera gold sites.
Amnesty warns the abuses and pillage could constitute war crimes and urges stronger AU action.

Summary

Congo Supplies Tantalum

Rubaya mine supplies roughly 15% of the world’s tantalum used in smartphones.
Congo produced more than half of global tantalum last year, according to Amnesty International.
The country exported over 28 tons of gold that year, showing the sector’s economic weight.
Rubaya suffered a mine collapse in March that killed at least 200 miners.
Lomera gold mine collapsed last year, trapping numerous miners and disrupting production.

History

Historical Context

In April 2000 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1295, tightening sanctions on UNITA and ordering a six-month expert panel to investigate illegal diamond trade that funded Angola’s civil war. Amnesty International now reports that M23’s forced-labour coltan mines in the DRC repeat the same mineral-funded conflict dynamics condemned two decades earlier.

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M23 Abuses Miners

M23 fighters commit severe human rights abuses against artisanal miners in the DRC.
Amnesty International documents at least 18 miners killed—10 beaten, 2 shot, 6 kidnapped then found dead.
M23 forced miners to work underground for over a week in Rubaya coltan mines and Lomera gold sites.
Amnesty warns the abuses and pillage could constitute war crimes and urges stronger AU action.

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