M23 rebels are setting up support an eye on over key mineral-successfully off territories in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), United Countries consultants enjoy warned.
The Tutsi-led rebels, active in North and South Kivu provinces, enjoy seized key cities since April 2024 – allegedly with support from Rwandan forces, though Kigali denies supporting the rebels and says it is committed to a ceasefire and peace talks.
The legend accuses M23 of developing shadow administrations to explot strategic mines and alternate 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 Security Council’s Team of Experts said in their legend, released Wednesday.
The rebels are also accused of using forced labour to magnify roads, and patrolling mining areas to create sure minerals enjoy been perfect offered to authorised Congolese and Rwandan merchants.
The UN legend said M23 became once financing its operations by exporting minerals from areas below its support an eye on, including coltan, a resource extinct in electronics love smartphones and computers.
The added that M23 had created a “mining ministry” to oversee coltan exports from Rubaya, dwelling to 1 of the world’s largest 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 legend said.
The continuing territorial growth has persisted despite agreed ceasefires, suggesting M23’s simply aim is prolonged-term occupation and exploitation of conquered areas, the UN consultants added.
Macron urges Rwanda to full support for DRC M23 rebels, withdraw troops
A world advise
The UN legend highlights considerations about how M23’s actions could maybe perhaps enjoy an impress on world electronics producers, which face stress to create sure battle-free offer chains.
Congo has filed criminal complaints against Apple subsidiaries in France and Belgium, accusing the tech firm of using battle minerals in its offer chain.
Apple disputes the claims, announcing it requires its suppliers to steer definite of sourcing from the predicament.
Struggle-mineral rules in the US and EU require firms to hint the origins of minerals from areas love eastern Congo. Nonetheless, a 2022 World Scrutinize legend said such rules enjoy did now not quit irregular alternate.
Meanwhile the renewed violence has displaced larger than 100,000 of us in North Kivu since early 2025, reaching levels now not viewed in over a decade. This provides to the thousands and thousands already displaced since M23’s resurgence in 2021.
DRC case against Apple brings unique hope in battle minerals disaster
Protests
Meanwhile, a number of hundred of us demonstrated in Bukavu, South Kivu, on Wednesday to relate unlawful mining in the country’s east, where authorities are investigating claims of long-established illicit Chinese involvement.
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The gathering adopted the announcement on Sunday of the arrest of three Chinese nationals reward in possession of gold bars and natty sums of money, in step with South Kivu Governor Jean-Jacques Purusi.
Native authorities in the resource-successfully off province articulate a full lot of mining firms, mainly Chinese, extract gold with out declaring profits and often with out authentic working permits.
“South Kivu minerals should serve the development and well-being of communities,” learn one banner held aloft on the demonstration, known as by professional-democracy movements and unions.
(with newswires)
