{"id":17148,"date":"2025-01-10T17:09:42","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T13:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gbc1.net\/?p=17148"},"modified":"2026-03-04T18:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T14:40:57","slug":"rwanda-is-worlds-biggest-exporter-of-coltan-by-rerouting-from-dr-congo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gbc1.net\/index.php\/2025\/01\/10\/rwanda-is-worlds-biggest-exporter-of-coltan-by-rerouting-from-dr-congo\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda is World’s Biggest Exporter of Coltan by Rerouting from DR Congo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

According to a UN study, Rwanda is the biggest exporter of #coltan<\/a> with 150 tonnes recorded in 2024. Rwanda does have some coltan mines, but not as many as its neighbor, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It is alleged that the M23 (March 23rd Movement) rebels from DRC who smuggle #CriticalMinerals<\/a> to Rwanda for export.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exports of coltan via Rwanda started when the M23 rebel group took control of Rubaya — a region in northern Kivu — renowned for its #coltan<\/a> mines. M23 imposes ‘production taxes’ on the coltan mines, and it is estimated that M23 earns on average USD 800,000 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, Rwanda is not too happy about DRC hosting the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (DFLR), which is hostile to Kigali. While M23 consists of Tutsis, the DFLR is made up of Hutus, thus explaining the bad blood between the two groups.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Coltan-Rich
Coltan-Rich Region in North Kivu Controlled by Rebel Group M23<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In May 2022, ENACT<\/a> released a report entitled \u201cMining and Illicit Trading of Coltan in the Democratic Republic of Congo<\/a>.” The report provided an insight into the mechanism of the cross-border operations involving coltan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on current rules, a certificate of origin for Rwandan coltan can be obtained for coltan from elsewhere as long as there is at least 30% of local value addition (#LVA<\/a>). Through abuse of this mechanism, coltan originating from DRC is turned into #coltan<\/a> from Rwanda. As opposed to DRC, Rwanda does not impose any export duty on coltan, thereby implicitly encouraging this export route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier in April 2022, Global Witness<\/a> published yet another report entitled “The ITSCI Laudromat<\/a>“, which revealed that 90% of minerals exported from Rwanda actually originate from DRC. Recently, the issue has become a subject of contention between the two neighboring countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DRC has pointed fingers at Apple<\/a> for using ‘illegal coltan’ from Rwanda in the manufacture of its smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices. An Apple spokesperson denied the allegations, but Apple nevertheless temporarily suspended the procurement of coltan from both Rwanda and DRC.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Luwowo
Luwowo Coltan mine near Rubaya, North Kivu. (Photo Credit: MONUSCO Sylvain Liechti)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The UN report thus imparts new momentum to the coltan contention between DRC and Rwanda. DR Congo has about 70% of the global reserves of coltan, but ironically, Rwanda is the largest exporter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other unfortunate characteristic in the mining operations is the prevalence of child labor, which poses both a safety and ethical dilemma. The extraction of the minerals often occurs under rudimentary and deplorable conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through this illegal trade, the DRC government claims that it is losing some USD one billion annually in mining revenue. Talks between Rwanda and DRC to attempt to resolve the controversy have so far not been successful. Other than Rwanda, minerals are also routed via neighboring Burundi and Uganda, adding an extra layer of complexity to the issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to a UN study, Rwanda is the biggest exporter of #coltan with 150 tonnes recorded in 2024. Rwanda does<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17151,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":0,"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[759,147,33],"yoast_head":"\nRwanda is World's Biggest Exporter of Coltan by Rerouting from DR Congo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gbc1.net\/index.php\/2025\/01\/10\/rwanda-is-worlds-biggest-exporter-of-coltan-by-rerouting-from-dr-congo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rwanda is World's Biggest Exporter of Coltan by Rerouting from DR Congo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"According to a UN study, Rwanda is the biggest exporter of #coltan with 150 tonnes recorded in 2024. 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