Eastern DRC: 280 tons of Coltan sold via Rwanda to a Luxembourg firm

Kinshasa, April 17^th, 2025 (CPA). – The Luxembourg company Traxys has been accused by the British NGO Global Witness of having bought 280 tons of Coltan in 2024 via Rwanda from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo controlled by M23 terrorists, according to the organisation’s website, consulted on Wednesday by CPA. ‘The investigation reveals that this multi-billion dollar company, headquartered in Luxembourg, bought 280 tons of Coltan from Rwanda in 2024, according to customs documents consulted by Global Witness’, it is said. ‘Analysis of the commercial data and the testimonies of two Coltan smugglers suggest that a significant proportion of the Coltan bought by Traxys in Rwanda is linked to the on-going war in the east of DRC’, the source has added. According to the NGO, M23 largely finances its operations by mining Coltan in the Rubaya region, which is then smuggled into Rwanda on a massive scale. However, Traxys denied that the Coltan it exports from Rwanda comes from Rubaya or that its transactions contribute to financing the M23. It has cited several due diligence mechanisms, including mine visits, plausibility checks and the use of traceability systems. However, Global Witness’ investigation reveals that Traxys is the almost exclusive buyer of Coltan exported by the Rwandan company African Panther Resources Limited, according to customs data consulted by the British NGO. African Panther’s Coltan exports exploded in 2024, exceeding the cumulative total for the previous four years, the NGO revealed, which also documented that « Traxys accelerated its purchases of Rwandan Coltan from 2023 and was among the largest buyers in 2024. From the end of 2023, UN experts were reporting that Coltan from the Masisi zone was being regularly smuggled into Rwanda and integrated into international supply chains ». In addition, two traders involved in smuggling Coltan from Rubaya (DRC) into Rwanda have told Global Witness that African Panther was indeed buying the smuggled Coltan. One of them has stated that the M23 demanded a 15% tax on the sale price. Finally, Global Witness has, in its conclusion of its investigation, recommended in particular to the European Union (EU) to suspend its official development aid to Rwanda, and to cancel its strategic partnership on raw materials with Rwanda, as well as any related project. It is recalled that tantalum, a metal extracted from Coltan, is used in the manufacture of electronic devices such as mobile phones, computers and car parts, including electric vehicles – key components for the energy transition. A mobile phone contains an average of 40 milligrams of tantalum.