Landslide buries over 100 workers at coltan mine in Congo

A similar incident had already occurred on Tuesday in another quarry where coltan is mined, also in Masisi. According to numerous media reports, up to 200 people were killed there by a landslide. A similar disaster occurred in the area in January, leaving dozens dead.

The working conditions in many mines in the resource-rich country are considered precarious – safety technology is often not available, and there is also child labor in many mines.

Raw materials fuel conflict

The city of Masisi has been under the control of the M23 rebel group since mid-2024, which controls mining there and in other parts of eastern Congo. The country’s rich raw materials – in addition to coltan, gold and tin – fuel the conflict that has been going on for more than 30 years in the region, in which more than 100 armed militias and soldiers from neighboring Rwanda are active.

Coltan, from which the metal tantalum is primarily extracted, plays a central role in microelectronics. The metal is essential to many electronic devices, including cell phones, laptops and flat screens. Because of its heat and corrosion resistance, tantalum is also needed in the automotive and aviation industries, as well as for medical devices.