Rebel group in Congo generates $300,000 monthly in seized mining area, UN official says

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A U.N. official says a rebel group in Congo generates around $300,000 a month in revenue through its control of a mining area in the east of the country. In April, the M23 — a rebel group with alleged links to Rwanda — seized the Rubaya mining area in eastern Congo, which holds deposits of a key mineral used in the production of smartphones and computers. The head of the U.N. mission in Congo told the Security Council on Monday that over 15% of the world’s supply of tantalum, a rare metal extracted from coltan, comes from Rubaya. The decadeslong conflict in eastern Congo has produced one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.