M23 rebels are organising retain an eye on over key mineral-prosperous territories in jap Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), United Nations consultants hang warned.
The Tutsi-led rebels, active in North and South Kivu provinces, hang seized key towns since April 2024 – allegedly with give a boost to from Rwandan forces, though Kigali denies supporting the rebels and says it is miles committed to a ceasefire and peace talks.
The represent accuses M23 of constructing shadow administrations to explot strategic mines and exchange routes.
“This constitutes the most important contamination of supply chains with ineligible minerals recorded in the Great Lakes region over the last decade,” the UN Safety Council’s Neighborhood of Experts acknowledged of their represent, launched Wednesday.
The rebels are also accused of the expend of pressured labour to amplify roads, and patrolling mining areas to make certain that that minerals had been finest purchased to current Congolese and Rwandan merchants.
The UN represent acknowledged M23 modified into as soon as financing its operations by exporting minerals from areas below its retain an eye on, including coltan, a resource aged in electronics fancy smartphones and computer systems.
The added that M23 had created a “mining ministry” to oversee coltan exports from Rubaya, dwelling to 1 of the world’s supreme deposits of the mineral.
“In this way, the militants collected at least $800,000 per month in taxes on coltan production and trade in Rubaya”, the represent acknowledged.
The continuing territorial growth has persisted despite agreed ceasefires, suggesting M23’s true plot is lengthy-timeframe occupation and exploitation of conquered areas, the UN consultants added.
Macron urges Rwanda to total give a boost to for DRC M23 rebels, withdraw troops
A global discipline
The UN represent highlights considerations about how M23’s actions might possibly well possibly impact global electronics producers, which face stress to make certain warfare-free offer chains.
Congo has filed criminal complaints against Apple subsidiaries in France and Belgium, accusing the tech firm of the expend of warfare minerals in its offer chain.
Apple disputes the claims, asserting it requires its suppliers to manual clear of sourcing from the placement.
War-mineral regulations within the US and EU require companies to label the origins of minerals from areas fancy jap Congo. Nonetheless, a 2022 Global Demand represent acknowledged such guidelines hang did not quit irregular exchange.
Meanwhile the renewed violence has displaced greater than 100,000 of us in North Kivu since early 2025, reaching levels no longer viewed in over a decade. This adds to the thousands and thousands already displaced since M23’s resurgence in 2021.
DRC case against Apple brings recent hope in warfare minerals crisis
Protests
Meanwhile, several hundred of us demonstrated in Bukavu, South Kivu, on Wednesday to remark illegal mining within the country’s east, where authorities are investigating claims of frequent illicit Chinese language involvement.
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The gathering adopted the announcement on Sunday of the arrest of three Chinese language nationals mumble in possession of gold bars and immense sums of cash, per South Kivu Governor Jean-Jacques Purusi.
Local authorities within the resource-prosperous province state hundreds of mining companies, primarily Chinese language, extract gold with out declaring profits and often with out legit working permits.
“South Kivu minerals should serve the development and well-being of communities,” read one banner held aloft on the demonstration, known as by pro-democracy actions and unions.
(with newswires)
