Kinshasa, September 21st, 2026 (CPA): – Eighteen (18) artisanal miners have been summarily executed by the Rwandan army and the M23-AFC at the Rubaya and Lomera mining sites in Nord-Kivu and Sud-Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to a report by the NGO Amnesty International consulted on Monday by the CPA.
“Eighteen artisanal miners have been summarily executed at two sites, in Rubaya, Nord-Kivu, and in Lomera, Sud-Kivu. Ten were beaten to death, two were shot dead and six others were found dead after being abducted,” It is read. According to the source, 16 miners who were victims of these abuses and local residents interviewed by Amnesty International have claimed to have been tortured or ill-treated. “In Rubaya, more than 20 workers have been detained in an underground cell and beaten three times a day,” has indicated the document. Furthermore, the report has continued stating that, some miners were forced to remain underground for more than a week, whilst others were threatened with being sent to military training centres if they did not pay a sum of money to regain their freedom. “Gold and coltan have been illegally transported to Rwanda. Sacks containing gold-bearing soil were transported by boat from Lomera to Kamembe, in western Rwanda,” has revealed the source. The report published by this NGO is the result of an investigation based on 26 interviews and an analysis of photographs and videos collected in areas under occupation by M23-AFC forces. CPA