M23 rebel group generates approximately $300,000 a month from mining-UN

A rebel group in Congo generates around $300,000 a month in income by its maintain an eye on of a mining area within the east of the country, a U.N. official said.

In April, the M23 — a rebel group with alleged hyperlinks to Rwanda — seized the Rubaya mining area in eastern Congo, which holds deposits of a key mineral old within the production of smartphones and computer systems. Over 15% of the arena’s provide of tantalum, a rare metal extracted from coltan, comes from Rubaya, Bintou Keita, head of the U.N. mission in Congo, suggested the Security Council on Monday.

“Unless international sanctions are imposed on those benefiting from this criminal trade, peace will remain elusive and civilians will proceed to endure,” Keita said.

Tantalum is among the minerals that have been identified earlier this year in a letter from Congo’s authorities questioning Apple about the tech company’s information of “blood minerals” being smuggled in its provide chain.

The decadeslong battle in eastern Congo has produced one in all the arena’s worst humanitarian crises, with extra than 120 armed groups combating for energy, land and valuable mineral resources while others are attempting and protect their communities. Some armed groups have been accused of mass killings, rapes and assorted human rights violations. The violence has displaced some 6 million folk within the country’s east.

M23, or the March 23 Stagger, is a rebel military group mainly made up of ethnic Tutsis that broke away from the Congolese army fair over a decade ago. They staged a large offensive in 2012 and took over the provincial capital of Goma near the border with Rwanda, the same metropolis they are threatening again.

Congo alleges that Rwanda has been captivating with war crimes within the east and U.S. and U.N. consultants accuse it of giving military backing to M23. Rwanda denies the claim, nonetheless in February admitted that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its safety, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border.

In July, U.N. consultants estimated that between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan authorities forces are deployed in eastern Congo alongside M23, which has been making major advances.

Last week, a regional court in East Africa opened complaints in a case filed by Congo against Rwanda, accusing it of violating Congo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by sending troops to assist rebels within the country’s east.