The route between Lubaya in northern Kivu province in eastern Congo and Rwanda, which is said to be used to supply Koltan minerals to high-tech giant Apple, cannot supply global markets, according to photojournalist Teddy Majna, who went to the region.
The Rubaya Mine, also known as the Bibatama mining concession, is a series of Koltan mining sites near the town of Rubaya in the Masisi territory of North Kivu.
Also Read: Dr. Congo: In the West, it’s either a mineral or a sanction against humanity.
Last year, Dr. Congo accused Apple’s subsidiaries of France and Belgium of using “conflict minerals” in their supply chains. Apple and Rwanda denied the allegations. Recently, President Paul Kagame has repeatedly stated that Rwandan issues are not always minerals but security threats that arise from neighboring Dr. Congo.
Kinshasa claims that Rwanda’s mineral imports were “stolen” from Dr. Congo.
Also Read: Dr. Congo, Dr. M23 talks directly, Angola says
Majina traveled to the eastern Congo to see if the “Rubaya route” exists and whether it could be considered “the global capital of Koltan.”
Speaking of the new era, he said that a journey from Goma, the capital of North Kiv, to Rubaya, takes about five hours in good circumstances, and about 40 minutes by motorcycle from Rubaya to the actual mine.
From the video shared on X, the road used for commuting appears to be a sturdy, muddy, flooded section with deep puddles and uneven surfaces.
The presence of portables on vehicles and on foot suggests that it is difficult to navigate, especially due to large-scale commercial transport.
Mazina said that having this path is normal from interaction with the residents, providing access to the market and promoting trade among themselves, but that they struggle because they are moving and sometimes get stuck on nights when the car is broken.
“There is no Koltan route between Rubaya and Rwanda. It is just a path to promote trade. The artisan mines in Rubaya cannot supply the global market for smartphones,” he pointed out.
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Also, “Genocide is ignored and minerals are worshiped: The Western role in Dr. Congo’s never-ending tragedy.”
He also said that the entire population of Lubaya is Rwandfon.
According to him, previous journeys “contradict the theory that by passing this route, Rwanda will plunder the so-called strategic minerals and destabilize Dr. Congo due to the Rubaya mines.”
The security crisis in eastern Congo is scapegoating Rwanda to protect the interests of businesses towards the region, seeing Western countries divert problems to minerals and not addressing the root causes of conflict. The Congolese government wants to commit atrocities against Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese and destabilize Rwanda.
Also Read: Dr. Congo’s Call to Understand the War
Mazina said the second part of his story will include interviews with various miners, including exploring trenches that have not yet been released but abandoned by Burundian forces in the eastern Congo, and sharing, among other things, untold stories of the scandal at the Musenze Central Prison.
Coltan is one of the most popular minerals around the world due to its important role in the production of computers and other electronic devices that promote information age. When refined, two important minerals – tantalum and niobium, are extracted from the cortan. Tantalum is an important component of capacitors that regulate the flow of electricity in small circuit boards found in devices such as computers and smartphones, and niobium is used in oil and gas pipelines, beams and girders for buildings and oil rigs, welding, electronic technology, optics, and more.
