PHOTO ESSAY: Congo coltan miners dig for world's tech — and struggle regardless of who is in charge
RUBAYA, Congo (AP) — Nestled in the green hills of Masisi territory in Congo, at the artisanal Rubaya mining site, hundreds of men labor by hand to extract coltan, a key mineral crucial for producing modern electronics and defense technology.
Rubaya lies in the heart of eastern Congo, a mineral-rich part of the Central African nation which for decades has been ripped apart by violence from government forces and various armed groups.
As the U.S. spearheads peace talks between Congo and Rwanda, Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi has sought out a deal with the Trump administration, offering mineral access in return for American support in quelling the insurgency and boosting security.
Bahati Moïse, a trader who resells coltan from Rubaya's mines, hopes that, regardless who controls the mines, the workers who labor to extract the minerals will finally be valued as much as the resources themselves.
'The whole country, the whole world knows that phones are made from the coltan mined here, but look at the life we live,' he said. 'We can't continue like this.'
____
This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors.
Text from AP News story: 'Congo's coltan miners dig for world's tech — and struggle regardless of who is in charge,' by David Yusufu Kibingila and Monika Pronczuk
Photos by Moses Sawasawa
___
The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Flirts With Female Reporter: Wish More Were ‘Like You'
President Donald Trump joked that his political career could end after he told a female reporter she was beautiful and wished there were more reporters like her. The awkward scene took place in the Oval Office on Friday as a peace deal facilitated by the U.S. was signed by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, with the aim of ending the decades-long, deadly fighting in eastern Congo. As the signing ceremony began, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt invited reporter and 'friend' Hariana Veras to address the press and attendees in the room, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the foreign ministers from the two African nations. Veras, a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who covers the White House, told Trump what she had seen on the ground in the DRC upon news of the peace agreement. 'I saw hope. They have hope now for a better day in Congo,' she said, adding that Congo's President Felix Tshiseked wanted to nominate Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. Trump to an African reporter: "She's beautiful ... you are beautiful and you're beautiful inside. I wish I had more reporters like you." — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 27, 2025 'So beautifully stated,' Trump replied, before telling Veras she was also 'beautiful'. 'I'm not allowed to say that,' he joked. 'You know that could be the end of my political career, but you are beautiful—and you're beautiful inside. I wish I had more reporters like you.' The lighthearted scene came during an otherwise serious signing ceremony to mark an agreement between Rwanda and the DRC after decades of bloodshed. The deal has been touted as an important step toward peace in the Central African nation of Congo, where conflict with more than 100 armed groups has killed millions of people since the 1990s. The conflict has sparked a humanitarian crisis and widespread displacement in eastern DRC, where a militia allegedly backed by Rwanda occupies large pieces of land. 'So we're here today to celebrate a glorious triumph, and that's what it is, for the cause of peace,' said Trump, who noted that he would be 'putting a lot of pressure' on both sides to honor the agreement. 'This is a long time waiting. The signing of a historic peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda. The conflict has continued, and it's been going on for many, many years.' The deal has been dubbed the Washington Accord—although Trump joked that it should have been called the 'Trump Accord.' Under the agreement, the U.S. will also get access to the DRC's deposits of metals and minerals, such as gold, lithium, and copper. Trump took credit on Friday not just for the Washington Accord, but also for his role in other foreign conflicts. 'In a few short months, we've now achieved peace between India and Pakistan, India and Iran, and the DRC and Rwanda, and a couple of others, also,' he said.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Qatar emphasises peaceful resolution of conflicts after DRC-Rwanda deal
Qatari diplomat Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi has welcomed the peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), saying that it came after several rounds of talks, some of which were held in Doha. The deal, signed in Washington, DC, on Friday with backing from the United States and Qatar, will see Rwandan soldiers withdraw from the DRC and the two countries set up mechanisms to enhance trade and security cooperation. 'We hope that the sides will adhere to the terms of the agreement to de-escalate and bolster the security and stability of the … region,' al-Khulaifi, who serves as minister of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Al Jazeera. Al-Khulaifi added that the meeting between Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, hosted by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha in March, was followed by a series of talks, paving the way for Friday's deal. 'Qatar enjoys excellent relationships with both countries and has earned the trust of both countries as a mediator and international partner trying to resolve these issues,' he said. 'Doha was a platform for these meetings, and we contributed [to reaching the agreement] with the US.' The Reuters news agency reported earlier this month that Qatar presented a draft peace proposal to Rwanda and the DRC after negotiations in Doha. On Friday, the US Department of State said the US, Qatar, the African Union and Togo 'will continue to engage both parties to ensure implementation of the obligations laid out in the agreement'. The agreement has sparked hopes of ending the conflict in the DRC, where the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has been advancing in the resource-rich east of the country. The renewed violence had raised fears of igniting a full-blown conflict, akin to the wars that the DRC endured in the late 1990s, involving several African countries, which killed millions of people. 'Qatar fully believes in dialogue as the cornerstone for resolving conflict through peaceful means,' al-Khulaifi said. 'Qatar believes that mediation is a pillar of its foreign policy. That's why, hopefully, you will find Qatar always racing to try to resolve issues between countries, even countries that are geographically far from Qatar.' Qatar has played a key role in securing diplomatic deals in various conflicts across the world over the past years. Most recently, it helped mediate the ceasefire agreement that ended the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. 'What pleases me is that this agreement came days after another agreement which Qatar contributed to with the US – and that's the ceasefire between Iran and Israel,' al-Khulaifi said. 'Qatar will not spare any efforts to engage in more attempts to de-escalate and pursue peaceful means to end these conflicts.'
E&E News
13 hours ago
- E&E News
White House finalizes African mineral, peace deal
President Donald Trump on Friday finalized an agreement to quell fighting across Africa and boost U.S. access to the mineral-rich Congo amid congressional concerns and demands for more information. The president, flanked by foreign ministers from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, signed a peace treaty that he said will end more than three decades of conflict that's led to about 6 million deaths. 'I think both of you have said 'that's enough,'' Trump said at the White House ceremony, nodding to the ministers of the two countries. Advertisement Noticeably missing were Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two leaders would be in Washington to sign the deal at a ceremony later this month. Trump signed letters inviting the leaders to the White House.
