Of the scores of artisanal mines in North and South Kivu provinces in eastern DRC, dozens are controlled by the Rwandan-backed March 23 Movement (M23) armed group. Tens of thousands of mostly young men rely on them for income.
M23’s treatment of these men has, so far, remained in the shadows. M23 is a Congolese armed group that includes many fighters from Rwanda. It tightly controls access to these mines, none of which benefit from the oversight of international mining traceability organizations.
This briefing documents Amnesty International’s research into M23 abuses at two mining sites: a coltan mine near the town of Rubaya, in Masisi territory of North Kivu province, and Lomera, a gold mine in Kabare territory of South Kivu province.
Amnesty International documented summary killings; torture and ill-treatment; arbitrary detention; forced labor; forced recruitment; and pillage by M23. The research is based on 26 interviews with artisanal miners; mining experts; mineshaft owners; family members of victims; civil society members; and a medical professional.
Amnesty International also reviewed reports by local human rights defenders on abuses at Rubaya, Lomera, and Ngungu, a gold mine in Masisi, and photos and videos of evidence from mining sites.
Read “DRC: ‘We Didn’t Come to Play’: M23 Abuses at Artisanal Mines and the Trafficking of Gold and Coltan to Rwanda”