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

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — An armed 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, the U.N. Security Council heard. 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 minerals used in the production of smartphones and computers. Over 15% of the world’s supply of tantalum, a rare metal extracted from coltan, comes from Rubaya, Bintou Keita, head of the U.N. mission in Congo, told the Security Council on Monday. The decadeslong conflict in eastern Congo has produced one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.