The AFC/M23 leadership stated that the tragedy, which occurred on January 28, 2026, resulted from a landslide triggered by increasingly soft soil in Rubaya amid heavy seasonal rains.
On January 31, the DRC Ministry of Mining announced that most of the victims were involved in illegal mining activities, which AFC/M23 had previously engaged in.
AFC/M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka expressed disappointment with the DRC government's response to the tragedy, accusing it of attempting to exploit the situation for political gain.
'Instead of taking responsibility for its long-standing failures in managing the mining sector, the regime seeks to exploit a tragic incident caused by torrential rains in the artisanal mines of Rubaya for political gain,' said Kanyuka.
AFC/M23 emphasized that the disaster in Rubaya bears no relation to their control of the area, as similar tragedies have repeatedly occurred in regions under DRC government control. In fact, over 800 people have died in mining accidents in government-controlled areas over the years.
The alliance cited 15 mining incidents that claimed numerous lives under DRC government control in areas including Nyamukubi and Bushushu in South Kivu, where over 500 people died on May 4, 2023.
AFC/M23 also reminded the DRC government of earlier mining disasters, such as the deaths of 37 people in a mine in Fizi in October 2018, 43 people in the KOV mine in Lualaba in June 2019, and 50 people near Kamituga in South Kivu in September 2020, all in areas under government control.
IGIHE
