Inside DR Congo mine wey dey power mobile phones

BBC News

13-07-2025

M23 rebels for eastern Democratic Republic of Congo recently let di BBC enta one huge mining site wey dey under dia control. Di mine dey comot mineral wey be di koko to di production of all di mobile phones for world.
Thousands of miners dey di area wey dey covered wit pits and tunnel and no bodi just dey siddon look.
Some dey underground dey dig ore wit shovels, odas go come carry di rock wey get coltan go wia oda pipo dey wait dem for assembly points to wash and filter am wit spades and by hand. Coltan na wetin dem dey take make many electronic devices.
Patrice Musafiri wey be fi pesin wey dey supervise di Rubaya mining site since di rebels take ova, tok say, "we normally get ova 10,000 pipo wey dey work for here daily".
To waka inside na wahala - our team need to get walking stick and oga Musafiri help so we no go fall but na di only life wey many of dis men don see no mata how dangerous,
One mineworker Peter Osiasi tell BBC say, "wen we enta deep for di mines temperatures fit dey very high... digging di mineral dey very hard... plus oda harmful gases dey inside. Sometimes dem dey pump cold air inside so we go still dey work", but e insist say, "mining don really help me".
E don dey do mining for five years and wit di work save money for dowry so now na married man wit pikin.
Di mine dey for di Masisi Hills of North Kivu province and get 15% of di world supply of coltan and also get half di total deposits for DR Congo.
E don make all di plenti armed groups plus di army wey don run am ova di years serious money.
We enta di mine days afta dem sign ceasefire deal between DR Congo and Rwanda for Washington as part of process to end di 30 years of kasala for di region.
But dem no carry di M23 rebels follow bodi for di deal. And na di rebels dey contrl large parts of eastern DR COngo including two airports.
Di US chook mouth ontop say dem go get access to DRC mineral resources but dem neva specify di koko of dat expectation.
For our short visit, dem give us access for like 45 minites, sign no show say di chain of command dey change.
Di supervisor wey a M23 put dia explain di set up for Rubaya and how dem reorganize am in one year pluis how di rebel group bring security so di miners go fit work witout fear as im torchlight say dem no dey allow armed men inside site.
E say, "presently we get mining department wey dey regulate and monitor safety issues and also dey fix internal kasala for di mines. If tunnel bicom dangerous, dem go tell pipo to comot so accident no go dey".
E add say, "different groups of pipo dey come hia come mine evri day and odas dey come buy minerals and noe we get big market for Goma to seel wetin dem buy from hia."
For December, UN sabi pipo report how di M23 dey make hundreds of thousands of dollars evri month by say dem tax coltan and dey send most of di money go Rwanda, but M23 and Kigali deny am.
Oga Osiasi gree say conditions don beta for mine, even though workers need buy permits to work for mine.
DI miner say, "business dey go well hia bicos we get wetin resemble peace, but di pay dey low. Dem dey pay us chikini money".
Trump second term in office match wit wen di M23 seize most of di North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
Political analyst Akramm Tumsifu say DR Congo decide to use dia mineral reseves to take get US assistance as dem dey find military support.
E say now di Congolese authories get hope say American firms go bring ogbonge investments come dia mining sector as at now na Chinese companies dey dominate.
Tori be say some US companies dey try look around to see weda dem go fit invest for di Rubaya mines
Di Rubaya supervisor tell us say investment dey welcome but dem go only allow di ones wey go boost local economy wit work, schools and hospitals.
Oga Musafiri add say "any foreign investor fit come, as long as dem bring development for we pipo and increase in miner daily pay".
Even wit di kontri ogbonge natural resources, most mining communities no get beta infrastructure. Dem no even get accessible road to enta di mines.
Oga Tumsifu reason say American investors fit "caution against kasala or for oda armed groups to chook head."
But M23 still get control of di east so e no clear who investor go follow work with.
Qatar dey lead anoda mediation in di coming months wey fit clear tins. Dis oen na between di armed groups and di Congolese goment.
Di M23 wey dey part of di Congo River Alliance say di Washington deal no enta di koko of wetin don cause dis long kasala as dem say dem carry gun to protect di minority Tutsi group for DRC.
As evribodi just dey tok dia own for top, di pipo for ground wey wan make all di fighting wey don ill and pursue hundreds of thousands of pipo form dia house.
Oga Osiasi tok say, "my own be say I wan beg young men and our leaders make dem keep peace for our area. I also wan beg di owners of di mines to increase our money bicos e too small".
Additional reporting by di BBC's Robert Kiptoo and Hassan Lali