Kinshasa, March 5th, 2025 (CPA).- More than 200 compatriots have lost the life on Wednesday in Rubaya, Masisi territory, in the province of Nord-Kivu (East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)), following an extremely serious landslide at the mining sites, according to a statement from the Ministry in charge of Mines consulted on Thursday by CPA. « The Ministry in charge of Mines brings to the attention of the national and international community that an extremely serious landslide has occurred once again on March 3rd, 2026, at the mining sites of RUBAYA, Masisi territory, in Nord-Kivu (…). More than 200 compatriots have lost the life, including about 70 minors among the victims, » it is read in the Ministry in charge of Mines. This landslide, the source has specified, is the result of exceptional torrential rains that have caused a massive landslide that has engulfed several tunnels located in this zone currently occupied by the AFC/M23 rebellion, making particularly complex any intervention to rescue the mining workers trapped by the mud.
The provisional toll is more than 200 deaths, including about 70 children among the victims, and many injured evacuated to health facilities of Goma, the statement informs. The government of the Republic has strongly condemned the precarious working conditions imposed on the civilian population in these areas outside the control of the State. The forced absence of the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Assistance and Support Service (SAEMAPE) and regulatory services, due to the aggression, deprives the artisanal miners of any basic safety supervision, the statement has indicated.
Preventive measures of the government
Partial view of diggers at the mining site
According to the statement, the government had anticipated these risks by taking legal and security protection measures, including: the reclassification as a red zone, by Ministerial Decree of February 12th, 2025, extended by Ministerial Decree of November 3rd, 2025, of the RUBAYA mining site, initially classified as ‘green’. To this end, the Rubaya mining site has been reclassified as a red zone in accordance with the standards of the Regional Certification Mechanism of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guide for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, the source has reported. In addition to the reclassification as a red zone, this status formally prohibits all extraction and marketing, signalling to the international community that the minerals from this zone are tainted by human rights violations, forced labour and the presence of armed groups.
Measures and commitments
For monitoring on the humanitarian front, the Ministry in charge of Mines, through its Branch Office relocated to Beni, is keeping track of the progress of relief operations and is joining the appeals of humanitarian partners for enhanced protection of children. Furthermore, this tragedy reminds of the urgent need to restore territorial integrity in order to put an end to the illegal and dangerous exploitation of national resources, the source has revealed, adding that the government commits to provide regular updates on the identification of victims. ‘In these painful circumstances, the Ministry in charge of Mines, on behalf of the government, offers its sincerest condolences to the bereaved families and to the entire Congolese Nation,’ the source has concluded.