Government forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have launched a fresh offensive against the M23 armed group in the country’s eastern region, deploying drones to strike a strategic mining site under rebel control.
Security sources said on Wednesday that intense fighting was reported around the mining town of Rubaya, where M23 fighters were targeted in a drone strike a day earlier.
The Rubaya mine is a major global source of coltan, a mineral critical in the production of electronic devices such as laptops and mobile phones. Analysts estimate the site accounts for between 15 and 30 percent of the world’s coltan supply.
Since resurfacing in 2021, the M23 rebel group has seized large swathes of eastern Congo, a region rich in minerals. In April 2024, the group captured the Rubaya mine in North Kivu province, reportedly with backing from Rwanda.
The renewed clashes further escalate a conflict that has persisted for more than three decades in eastern Congo, where numerous armed groups and foreign interests continue to compete for control of lucrative mineral resources.
