BBC gains rare access to mobile phones to power mine

The M23 rebels in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have recently allowed the BBC to visit a huge mining site under their control, which is vital to the production of mobile phones in the world – and over its huge space not one person was not inactive.

Thousands of miners have flooded the landscape covered with pits and tunnels.

Some were deep underground, digging ore with shovels, others then lifted the sacks of the extracted rock containing a colt, which is used to make many electronic devices, on their shoulders. They then took him to mounting points, where others were washed and filtered him with a peak and hand.

“We usually have more than 10,000 or more people who work here every day,” says Patrice Musafiri, who controls the Rubaya extraction site as the rebels took control of it last April, “BBC told.

This is a complicated terrain to navigate – our team needed the help of canes, as well as the management of G -n Musafiri to stop us from falling – for most men, this is the only life they knew. It may be heavy and dangerous, but it allows them to earn a little livelihood.

“When we are deep in the mines, the temperatures are very high – digging the mineral is also very difficult … Plus there may be other harmful gases,” Minister Peter Osiasi told the BBC.

“Sometimes cold air pumps inside so we can continue to work,” he said.

But the young man said he was grateful that since he began to be made five years ago, he has managed to save some money for a dowry and is now married with children.

“My life has really changed. The yield really helped me.”

The fabric of the golden scars that passed is located in the scattered, lush hills of tables from the province of North Kivu – about 60 km (37 miles) northwest of the city of Goma – and owns 15% of the World Delivery of Coltan and half of the total deposits of the Congo.

No wonder global investors have a look at this area.

Over the years, it has provided a huge wealth of different armed groups that have controlled it at different times, including the army.

We arrived in the mine, which is about 10 km outside the city of Rubaya, a few days after a fire transaction was signed in Washington by D -C Congo and Rwanda as part of the peace process aimed at terminating three decades of instability in the region.

The roots of the uncertainty of the e -Congo are known complicated.

It has an ethnic dimension, with many rebel groups working here – including the Hutu Ethnic Militia, related to the 1994 Rwanda genocide, which Kigali believes has Congo support.

In Washington, both countries were committed to disarming and excluding their alleged proxies on June 27 (although they denied having them).

The M23 was not a party to the deal. Led mainly by ethnic Tutis, he controls large parts of the Eastern Congo – and since January has taken control of Goma, Bukavu and two airports. Rwanda has been accused by many – including the UN – in support of the M23. However, the authorities there deny the sending of military or financial assistance.

The US involvement in the process seems to depend on access to the mineral resources of the Congo – although nothing has been stated so far.

“We get for the United States, many of the rights of minerals from (Dr) Congo,” US President Donald Trump said before signing.

During our short visit – we were allowed to access in about 45 minutes – there was no hint that the command chain was about to change.

The supervisor, appointed by the M23, wanted to explain how the tuning in Rubaya had been reorganized in the last year and how the rebel group had brought security to allow miners to work without fear – stating that the site was not allowed armed men.

“We have already solved so many problems,” said G -n Musafiri.

“We currently have a mining department that regulates and monitors safety problems and also solves internal disputes within the mines. If the tunnel becomes dangerous, people are said to leave to avoid accidents.

“People from different groups come here to go daily and others to buy the minerals, and now we have a huge market in GOMA where they can resell what they buy here.”

In December, a report of UN experts describes in detail how M23 makes hundreds of thousands of dollars each month of Coltan taxation, much of it was sent directly to Rwanda – accusations of both M23 and Kigali Deny.

Surrounded by their colleagues, wearing jeans, sweaters and boots of Wellington, all of whom buy the work permits of the site, the Osiasi agreed that the conditions were better.

“The business is happening very well here because we have at least some semblance of peace, but the pay is very low. They pay us very little money,” the miner said.

Trump’s second term coincided with the seizure of M23 by much of the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu and the humiliating retreat of the Congoan army.

Political analyst Akramm Tumsifu says D -C Congo has decided to use his rich mineral reserves as a negotiation chip to receive help in the United States – for months he has been seeking military support.

With the adoptive peace process, the great hope of the Congoan authorities, he told the BBC, is that US companies will be able to make “massive investment” in their mine sector, which is currently dominated by Chinese companies.

US companies are reported to be looking to win the opportunity to invest in the mining sector of Rubaya.

Rubaya’s supervisor said we would be welcomed, but only initiatives aimed at strengthening the local economy – jobs, schools and hospitals – would be allowed.

“Any foreign investor can come here as long as they come with the development of our people and increase the daily salaries for the miners,” said G -n Musafiri.

Despite the colossal natural donations in the country, most mining communities have a small infrastructure, without even affordable roads to the mines where wealth is cut off from the ground.

Tumsifu believes that the presence of US investors may also act as “caution to the fight or revival of other armed groups”.

But it is not yet clear how or with whom an investor would do a business, given that the M23 still controls a lot to the east.

Efforts for parallel mediation, led by Qatar – which includes direct conversations between the armed groups and the Congoy government – can give more clarity in the coming months.

The M23, which is part of the wider alliance on the Congo River, said the transaction-backed transaction had reached the cause of the long conflict. He maintains that he has taken a weapon to protect the rights of the Tutsi minority group in Congo.

As the warring people are trying to kill their preferred paths to peace, the locals in Rubaya Rubaya, like elsewhere in the Eastern Dr. Congo, only hope the final end of the fighting and bloodshed who have seen hundreds of thousands of people escape from their homes.

“My call for fellow young men and our leaders is to keep and maintain peace in our area,” said G -Nosiasi.

As he was preparing to return to hours of more digging, he added: “I also like the mines owners to increase our pay, because it is very small.”

Additional Reporting by Robert Kitto from BBC and Hassan Lali