Government forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have launched fresh attacks against the March 23 Movement (M23) armed group, using drones to strike a strategic mining site in the country’s east, security sources told AFP on Wednesday.
The fighting was concentrated around areas near the mining town of Rubaya, where M23 fighters were reportedly hit by a drone strike a day earlier, according to local and security sources.
The Rubaya mine is a major global source of coltan, producing an estimated 15 to 30 percent of the world’s supply. Coltan is a critical mineral used in the production of electronics such as laptops and mobile phones.
Since its resurgence in 2021, the M23 has seized large swathes of the DRC’s resource-rich eastern region. The group captured the Rubaya mine in North Kivu province in April 2024, allegedly with backing from Rwanda.
The rebel advance has intensified a conflict that has plagued eastern Congo for more than three decades. The region has long been destabilised by the presence of dozens of armed groups and foreign interests competing for control of valuable mineral resources.
In December, the M23 launched an offensive on the strategic city of Uvira in South Kivu province, near the border with Burundi, drawing international concern.
The United States, which has mediated a fragile peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda, condemned the assault. Meanwhile, Angola, another mediator, proposed a ceasefire scheduled to take effect on February 18, though hostilities have continued.
On Wednesday, local militias allied with Congolese forces reportedly launched attacks across several front-line positions in North Kivu, particularly in Masisi territory, where Rubaya is located.
According to United Nations experts, the M23 has established a parallel administrative structure in Rubaya to oversee operations at the mine since its capture.
“In central Rubaya, people are terrified. I went to see the place where the drone struck, but access was denied,” a resident told AFP, requesting anonymity.
Clashes were also reported in the South Kivu highlands, where Congolese troops are battling a coalition of militias aligned with the M23, further underscoring the fragility of the security situation in eastern Congo.
