On August 13, an investigation revealed that the Rubaya mining area in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, is now largely under the influence of the M23 rebel group. Local sources and monitoring organizations reported that the group has imposed a system of taxation on coltan flows, collecting fees at checkpoints and along transport routes. This control allows M23 to capture significant revenues from one of the world’s most important tantalum supply hubs, while undermining state authority and fueling ongoing insecurity in the region.
Rubaya has long been recognized as a strategic site within the DRC’s mineral landscape. It hosts high concentrations of coltan, essential for capacitors in smartphones, electric vehicles, and other electronics. Although international certification schemes have attempted to trace “conflict-free” minerals, the reassertion of rebel control highlights the limitations of current mechanisms. Traders reportedly continue to move material across borders into Rwanda and Uganda, blending it with legally produced minerals and masking its origins before it enters global supply chains.
The case of Rubaya illustrates how fragile governance and conflict dynamics directly impact the credibility of critical mineral supply. Even as global demand for tantalum rises, the persistence of parallel, rebel-controlled markets threatens the integrity of responsible sourcing frameworks. For downstream companies, this creates reputational and compliance risks, while for local communities, it perpetuates cycles of violence and economic exclusion. The Rubaya situation underscores the reality that social license to operate in mineral-rich regions cannot be achieved by corporate actors alone—it depends on broader state capacity, transparency, and security that remain elusive in parts of the eastern Congo.
Context Profile – Rubaya (North Kivu, DRC)
Key Mineral: Coltan (tantalum)
Control: M23 rebel group taxation and checkpoint system
Supply Chain Risk: Cross-border smuggling into Rwanda and Uganda
Certification Challenge: Conflict minerals blended into “legal” exports
Global Relevance: Essential for electronics and EV supply chains