The armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, have launched an attack on the armed rebel group backed by Rwanda, M23, in the country’s east, using drones to strike a strategic mining site occupied by them.
DRC forces told newsmen on Wednesday that the fighting was concentrated in areas near the mining town of Rubaya, where M23 soldiers were hit by a drone strike the previous day.
Reports say since its resurgence in 2021, the M23 rebel group has taken over vast areas of the eastern part of the DRC which is rich in resources such as Coltan.
The Rubaya mine in particular produces 15 to 30 percent of the world’s supply of coltan, which is used to make electronics like laptops and mobile phones, but the M23 rebels reportedly captured the mine in April 2024 with the help of Rwanda.