Latest news with #Masisi
Forbes
16-06-2025
- General
- Forbes
What It Takes To Support Children Fleeing Violence In Eastern DRC
UNICEF is on the ground in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, working with local partners to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of children and families reeling from months of violent conflict, displacement and related horrors. Community social worker Bienfait of Masisi territory in North Kivu is one of those partners. Learn how he is making a difference, reuniting children who become separated from their families and providing other forms of support, all with UNICEF's help. Bienfait, a father of seven, has been a social worker with a UNICEF partner organization in eastern DRC since 2020, helping to reunite children separated from their families by the ongoing conflict and displacement crisis. Bienfait, whose name is the French expression meaning 'well done,'' lives alone in his home community in North Kivu province; the rest of the family fled to escape escalating violence. © UNICEF 2025/Nelson Many months of violent conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have displaced families and disrupted critical health, education and other services and systems, intensifying risks to children's safety and well-being. When fighting forces families to flee, it is all too easy for children to become separated from their parents and caregivers in the chaos. It is in times like these that the efforts of individuals like Bienfait, a community social worker in Masisi territory, North Kivu, become more critical than ever. With support from UNICEF, Bienfait has helped reunite families torn apart by violence and displacement. "As a member of the community, he knows who everybody is," says Judith, a community psychologist who works alongside Bienfait. Together, they work to identify unaccompanied and separated children, reunite them with caregivers and make sure they get the psychological care they need. Bienfait also helps organize hikes and other activities for children and young people to help relieve the stress of living in a conflict zone. Family tracing and psychosocial support services remain essential child protection interventions in the DRC — but cuts in foreign aid are putting these vital efforts at risk. This intimate glimpse into Bienfait's life and day-to-day activities highlights his strong ties to the community and the growing strain felt by many following recent reductions in international aid funding: UNICEF's emergency response in the DRC relies on ongoing collaborations with local partners — and individuals like Bienfait — to meet a range of needs. UNICEF-supported mobile health and nutrition teams are on the ground delivering lifesaving support including vaccinations. UNICEF is also providing safe water through emergency water trucking and rehabilitating water systems to mitigate heightened risks of disease outbreaks. Learn more about how UNICEF supports and protects children in the DRC Helping displaced children continue their education is another top priority. Earlier this spring, UNICEF staff helped thousands of secondary school students sit their exams so they could avoid having to repeat the year. UNICEF also supports children released from armed groups. Many are placed with foster families and connected with services that help them reintegrate into society and get back to being kids. All of these efforts face critical funding shortfalls. 'If the funding crisis isn't urgently addressed, hundreds of thousands of children in eastern DRC will miss out on screening and treatment for malnutrition, lifesaving medicines and vaccines, safe drinking water and psychosocial support," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement before the UN Security Council on April 16, 2025. There is hope, however. "What gives me hope: the children, the social workers, the young people and the health workers of the DRC," UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said after visiting the DRC in April. 'The skilled and compassionate social workers — rooted in the community — are the backbone of UNICEF's response," Elder said. "Day by day, they accompany survivors, stitching together safety, dignity and justice ... What they need is opportunity. That's the spark. But for opportunity to light real change, it must come with peace, and with funding.' Your contribution to UNICEF is more important than ever. Please donate. Right now, the lives of the most vulnerable children hang in the balance as conflicts and crises jeopardize the care and protection that they deserve. Dependable, uninterrupted and effective foreign aid is critical to the well-being of millions of children. Please contact your members of Congress and urge them to support ongoing U.S. investments in foreign assistance.
Al Jazeera
19-05-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Photos: DR Congo's coltan miners struggle as they dig to feed world's tech
Nestled in the green hills of Masisi territory in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the artisanal Rubaya mining site hums with the sound of generators, as hundreds of men labour by hand to extract coltan, a key mineral crucial for modern electronics and defence technology manufacturing. Rubaya lies in the heart of the eastern DRC, a mineral-rich area of the Central African nation that for decades has been haunted by conflict between government forces and different armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, whose recent resurgence has escalated the violence. As the United States spearheads peace talks between the DRC and Rwanda, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has sought out a deal with the Trump administration, offering mineral access in return for support in quelling the armed rebellion and boosting security. While details of the deal remain unclear, analysts said Rubaya might be one of the mining sites which fall under its scope. Eastern DRC has been in and out of crisis for decades. The conflict has created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with more than seven million people displaced, including 100,000 who fled their homes this year. The Rubaya mines have been at the centre of the fighting, changing hands between the Congolese government and rebel groups. For more than a year, the mines have been controlled by the M23 rebels, who earlier this year advanced and seized the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu in a major escalation of hostilities. Despite the country's exceptional mineral wealth, more than 70 percent of Congolese live on less than $2.15 a day. For the men working in Rubaya's mines, who rely on the mining for their livelihoods, little has changed over decades of violence. 'I earn $40 a month, but that's not enough,' said Jean Baptiste Bigirimana, who has worked in the mines for seven years. 'Children need clothes, education and food. When I divide up the money to see how I will take care of my children, I realise it's not enough,' he said, adding that he does not know where the minerals he mines end up. Coltan — short for columbite-tantalite — is an ore from which the metals tantalum and niobium are extracted. Both are considered critical raw materials by the US, the European Union, China and Japan. Tantalum is used in mobile phones, computers and automotive electronics, as well as aircraft engines, missile components and GPS systems. Niobium is used in pipelines, rockets and jet engines. The DRC produced about 40 percent of the world's coltan in 2023, according to the US Geological Survey, with Australia, Canada and Brazil being other big suppliers. According to a United Nations report, since seizing Rubaya in April last year, the M23 has imposed taxes on the monthly trade and transport of 120 tonnes of coltan, generating at least $800,000 a month. Experts say it is not easy to trace how coltan arrives in Western countries. Analysts warn that the implementation of a minerals deal in the eastern DRC, if one were to materialise, will face many hurdles, especially with US investors largely abandoning the country in the last two decades. If the deal were to include Rubaya, where all mining is currently done manually, US companies would have to contend with both security concerns and a severe lack of infrastructure. Bahati Moise, a trader who resells coltan from Rubaya's mines, hopes that, regardless of who controls the mines, the workers who labour 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.'
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Congo's 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, the artisanal Rubaya mining site hums with the sound of generators, as hundreds of men labor by hand to extract coltan, a key mineral crucial for producing modern electronics and defense technology — and fiercely sought after worldwide. 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 different armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23, whose recent resurgence has escalated the conflict, worsening an already acute humanitarian crisis. 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. While details of the deal remain unclear, analysts said Rubaya might be one of the mining sites which fall under its scope. Eastern Congo has been in and out of crisis for decades. The conflict has created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises with more than 7 million people displaced, including 100,000 who fled homes this year. The Rubaya mines have been at the center of the fighting, changing hands between the Congolese government and rebel groups. For over a year now, it has been controlled by the M23 rebels, who earlier this year advanced and seized the strategic city of Goma and Bukavu in a major escalation of the conflict. Despite the country's exceptional mineral wealth, over 70% of Congolese live on less than $2.15 a day. Metals for 'modern life and military preparedness' For the men working in the Rubaya's mines, who rely on the mining for their livelihoods, little has changed over decades of violence. One of them is Jean Baptiste Bigirimana, who has worked in the mines for seven years. 'I earn $40 a month, but that's not enough," he said. "Children need clothes, education and food. When I divide up the money to see how I will take care of my children, I realize it's not enough,' he said, adding that he doesn't know where the minerals he mines go once they leave Rubaya. The mines produce coltan — short for columbite-tantalite — an ore from which the metals tantalum and niobium are extracted. Both are considered critical raw materials by the United States, the European Union, China and Japan. Tantalum is used in mobile phones, computers and automotive electronics, as well as in aircraft engines, missile components and GPS systems. Niobium is used in pipelines, rockets and jet engines. Congo produced about 40% of the world's coltan in 2023, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, with Australia, Canada and Brazil being other major suppliers. The National Energy Emergency executive order, issued by Trump, highlighted the significance of critical minerals — including tantalum and niobium — and called for securing U.S. access to ensure both "modern life and military preparedness.' A 'murky' global supply chain According to a U.N. report, since seizing Rubaya in April last year, the M23 has imposed taxes on the monthly trade and transport of 120 tonnes of coltan, generating at least $800,000 a month. The coltan then is exported to Rwanda, U.N. experts said. But even before M23 seized control of the mine, analysts said that the mineral was sold to Rwanda, the only difference being it was done through Congolese intermediaries. Experts say that it is not easy to trace how coltan arrives in Western countries. 'The global coltan supply chain is pretty murky,' said Guillaume de Brier, a natural resources researcher at the Antwerp-based International Peace Information Service. 'From eastern DRC, coltan is bought by traders, mostly Lebanese or Chinese, who will sell it to exporters based in Rwanda. Exporters will then ship it to the UAE or China, where it will be refined into tantalum and niobium, and sold to Western countries as metals from UAE or China.' The M23 has previously controlled Rubaya for periods of time, and the U.N. asserted that, even before the takeover of Goma, the group was facilitating the smuggling of these minerals to Rwanda. Since M23 took control of the mine, Rwanda's official coltan exports have doubled, according to Rwandan official figures. At times the mines were also under control of the Wazalendo, a militia allied with the Congolese army. Alexis Twagira said he feels some things have improved under M23. 'I've been working in this mine for 13 years, and I've worked under the Wazalendo. When they were here, they would harass us, sometimes taking our minerals and demanding money,' he said. The U.N. has accused both the Congolese army and the M23 rebels of human rights abuses. 'We can't continue like this' Congo is the world's largest producer of cobalt, a mineral used to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and other products, but U.S. access is complicated by the fact that Chinese companies control 80% of its Congolese production. Congo also produces gold. In recent weeks, two U.S. companies opened doors to production in the region. Nathan Trotter, a U.S. firm, signed a letter of intent with Rwanda-based Trinity Metals, which owns Rwanda's largest tin mine. And KoBold Metals, which uses Artificial Intelligence to further energy transition and is backed by billionaire Bill Gates, brokered a deal to buy Australia's AVZ Minerals' interest in Congo's Manono lithium deposits. Analysts warn that the implementation of a minerals deal in eastern Congo, if one was to materialize, will face many hurdles — especially with U.S. investors largely abandoning Congo in the last two decades. 'Turning a headline announcement into sustainable progress will require resolving deep suspicions between Rwanda and the DRC,' Chatham House, a research institute, said in a recent report. 'A deal will also need to account for complex local political problems of land access and identity, wider security challenges in a region that hosts myriad non-state armed groups, and issues of asset scarcity.' If the deal were to include Rubaya, where all mining is currently done manually, U.S. companies would have to contend with both security concerns and a severe lack of infrastructure. 'With coltan, you're dealing with hundreds of thousands of miners, and not just M23, but other so-called auto-defense armed groups and individuals who rely on mining for survival," said de Brier from the International Peace Information Service. "You have to build all the infrastructure, you have to start from scratch. You will even have to build the roads.' 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.' ___ Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal. ___ 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
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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
Washington Post
18-05-2025
- Washington Post
PHOTO ESSAY: Congo coltan miners dig for world's tech — and struggle regardless of who is in charge
RUBAYA, Congo — 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.
