As the silent genocide in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues, under the complicit eyes of the “international” community, last Friday, the town with the one of the biggest coltan reservoirs in the world, Rubaya, … was captured by the M23 rebels. What is coltan? For those who just discover it, coltan is a dull black metal from which niobium and tantalum are extracted. Thus, the name coltan comes from col in columbite (the niobium-dominant mineral) and tan in tantalite(the tantalum-dominant mineral). It is the material at the heart of the mobile phone boom, and is found everywhere in the computer, automotive, and electronics industries. It has been classified by the US Defense department since World War 2 as a material key to the nation’s security.
It is no secret that the M23 rebels are backed by neighboring Rwanda, who is in turn supported by … . Why DRC one may ask? As discussed earlier, Congo is a geological scandal, a country rich with some of the most important minerals on earth. When much of eastern Congo came under the control of Rwandan forces in the 1990s, Rwanda suddenly became a major exporter of coltan and many other minerals (a Rwandan I spoke to admitted, minerals Rwanda never thought possible are being “discovered” every day on “their soil”), benefiting from the turmoil and weakness of the Congolese government. According to a UN report, the soaring price and interest in coltan has “brought in as much as $20 million a month to rebel groups” and other factions trading coltan mined in northeastern DRC. Lastly, the government of DRC (The Democratic Republic of Congo Accuses Apple) recently threatened many big companies, including Apple, of illegally obtaining minerals including coltan, and therefore of supporting rebels group. Is it then a surprise that Rubaya was captured last Friday?
Excerpts below are from the BBC. To learn more, please read article on Africanews, and The East African.
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A town at the heart of mining coltan, a key ingredient in making mobile phones, has been seized in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo by rebel forces, their spokesman has said.
Rubaya fell into the hands of M23 fighters on Tuesday following heavy clashes with government troops, Willy Ngoma [M23 spokesperson] said.
The government has not yet commented, but a civil society activist confirmed that M23 had captured the strategic town.
It happened on the day France’s President Emmanuel Macron called on neighbouring Rwanda to “halt its support” for the M23 rebel group.
Mr Macron made his comments after holding talks with DR Congo’s President Félix Tshisekedi in France’s capital, Paris.
Rwanda has repeatedly denied backing the rebels, who have captured much territory in the mineral-rich east during fighting over the past 18 months.
DR Congo is the world’s second-biggest producer of coltan, with most of it coming from the mines around Rubaya in the Masisi district.
Coltan is used to make batteries for electric vehicles and mobile phones.
DR Congo’s government accuses Rwanda of backing the rebels to steal its mineral wealth, an allegation the government in Kigali denies.
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African Heritage 
Your reporting is always full with truth. I’m grateful to you. The history we read is full with half truths and outright lies. I look forward to your every post.
in the early 1970’s, I was in the Masters degree program at UCLA, African Area Studies, history and literature of East and South Africa.
I remember the first day in professor Maxwell Owusu’s class. He wanted us to understand how little we actually knew about the continent of Africa. I was a cute little white girl sitting near the front of class. He asked “What is the highest point in all of Africa?” I proudly responded: “Mt. Kilimanjaro!” (Hmmmm, his point was clearly not made).
”How high?” He demanded to know! I quickly, and even more proudly responded: “19,340 feet!” HA! 🤭
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Thank you Nancy… your comment is a warm balm to my heart. There is so much to learn indeed on Africa and we are only scratching the surface
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