Rebel forces have overtaken Rubaya, a key town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo crucial for coltan mining—a vital component in the manufacturing of mobile phones and electric vehicle batteries. This incident occurred as M23 fighters clashed fiercely with government forces on Tuesday, according to the group’s spokesperson, Willy Ngoma.
Local government authorities have not issued a statement regarding the takeover. However, a local civil society representative confirmed the strategic town’s capture by M23. The event coincided with a significant international plea from French President Emmanuel Macron, urging Rwanda to cease its alleged support for the M23 rebels during discussions with Congo’s President Félix Tshisekedi in Paris.
Rwanda has consistently refuted claims that it supports the rebels, despite the group’s considerable territorial gains in the mineral-abundant eastern region over the last year and a half. The DR Congo, the world’s second-largest producer of coltan, largely sources this mineral from the Rubaya mines in the Masisi district.
The conflict has broader implications, with accusations from the Congolese government that Rwanda is backing the rebels to usurp its mineral resources—a claim Rwanda denies. Ngoma emphasized that M23’s objective in seizing Rubaya was strategic, aimed at repelling government forces rather than exploiting the area’s mineral wealth.
In the midst of these developments, Voltaire Sadiki, a civil society activist in Masisi, reported that the rebels had demanded civilians possessing firearms to surrender them and resume their daily lives. The M23 group, which began as a faction of deserters from the Congolese army, asserts that the government has marginalized the ethnic Tutsi minority and has refused to engage in dialogue. They claim ancestral ties to the lush Masisi region.
President Tshisekedi contends that the rebel movement serves as a facade for Rwanda’s alleged territorial ambitions, which Rwanda vehemently denies. This ongoing conflict underscores deep-rooted regional tensions and the complex interplay of local and international politics surrounding valuable mineral resources.
