DR Congo: Tutsi Rebels Seize Eastern Mining Town

Facts

• Rebel fighters with the M23 group captured Rubaya, a mining town in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on Tuesday after clashes with state troops. Rubaya is a hub for coltan mining, a crucial mineral for electronics.¹
• A military spokesman for the Tutsi-led M23, Willy Ngoma, informed reporters that the town was under the group's control following fighting with ethnic Hutu armed groups in the area, such as the Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda.²
• On Wednesday, it remained unclear if the rebels fully controlled the town. Lieutenant Colonel Guillaume Njike of the DRC army stated that he was unable to confirm the situation at that moment.³
• Over the past 18 months, militants have seized significant land in the mineral-rich Masisi district, which many Tutsis consider to be an ethnic homeland. The DRC has accused neighboring Rwanda of supporting the rebels for financial gain.⁴
• As news of rebel gains in eastern Congo emerged, French Pres. Emmanuel Macron met with DRC Pres. Félix Tshisekedi in Paris. Macron urged Rwanda to 'halt its support' for the M23 rebel group, which it has vigorously denied doing.¹
• Minerals from the DRC are often trafficked through Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi, causing conflict. The DRC has asked Apple to investigate the origin of minerals in its supply chain, with Apple saying it has not found evidence of illicit trade.²

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²The Telegraph, ³Voice of America and ⁴AOL.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by CNBC. For years, Hutu-Tutsi conflicts have caused violence in the DRC's mineral-rich east. Most of the world's tantalum comes from the DRC and Rwanda, and the illegal trade in this and other minerals needed for EV batteries and mobile phones fuels the conflict. Rebel groups have taken over vast areas where these artisan mines are located, moving back and forth across the borders of several neighboring countries. The central government in Kinshasa does not seem to maintain the necessary military presence to put an end to the violence.
• Narrative B, as provided by United States Institute of Peace. It's a disgrace that the world is watching as criminal and armed gangs steal and sell minerals while brutalizing the people of eastern Congo, which sits on top of many of the minerals required for the manufacture of technologies to address climate change. The DRC needs assistance in establishing a lawful, transparent mining economy that will benefit everyone who uses a mobile phone or drives an electric vehicle. There is global recognition of the problem, but the political will to address it has faltered.

Predictions