Families across eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are grieving the deaths of at least 200 miners killed in a landslide at a coltan mine controlled by rebel forces, even as some survivors prepare to return to the dangerous tunnels under economic pressure.
The disaster occurred last week when heavy rains caused a network of hand-dug tunnels at the Rubaya mining complex—approximately 40 kilometres west of Goma—to collapse.
Dozens remain missing. The mine has been under the control of the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group since early 2024.
In Goma’s Mugunga neighborhood, relatives of 39-year-old Bosco Nguvumali Kalabosh gathered at his home to mourn. Kalabosh, who had worked as a miner for more than a decade and owned several tunnels, leaves behind a widow and four children, the eldest just five years old.
“He was supposed to return to Goma on Thursday,” said his older brother, Thimothée Kalabosh Nzanga, as neighbors sat around a photograph of the late miner. Kalabosh came from a family of artisanal miners, a trade passed down through generations.
Survivors say they are being forced back to the mines by economic necessity. Tumaini Munguiko, who escaped the collapse, visited Kalabosh’s family to offer condolences.
“Seeing our peers die is very painful. But despite the grief, we are forced to return to the mines to survive,” Munguiko said. He recounted losing five friends and his older brother in similar incidents and described the hazards as “almost normal” during the rainy season.
At Rubaya, miners dig long, often parallel tunnels with little structural support and no safe evacuation routes. Clovis Mafare, a former miner, explained that repeated collapses stem from unsafe construction and lack of oversight.
“People dig everywhere, without control or safety measures. In a single pit, there can be as many as 500 miners, and because the tunnels run parallel, one collapse can affect many pits at once,” Mafare said. He added that miners have no insurance, and compensation for families is minimal and slow.
Kalabosh’s family has received no compensation, yet both Munguiko and Nzanga say they will return to the mines. “I have no choice. Our whole life is there,” Munguiko said.
The Rubaya mines, which produce coltan used in mobile phones, computers, and military and aerospace equipment, have long been at the center of conflict in eastern Congo.
The Congolese government has accused the M23 rebels of illegally exploiting the mines, while an M23 spokesperson denied the claims, accusing the government of politicizing the tragedy.
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