In the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mining Revenue is Helping to Fund Rebel Groups

This story by Simplice Bambe, Jean Sovon and translated by Jean-Christophe Brunet originally appeared on Global Voices on December 6, 2025.

The ongoing security crisis in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has deepened, with two rebel groups, the Congo River Alliance (AFC) and the 23 March Movement (M23), which are both opposed to the ruling regime, now working together.

The AFC is a political-military organization composed of former members of the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), which was led by former DRC President Joseph Kabila (2001–2019). The M23, meanwhile, remains the leading rebel group in the region.

Their alliance poses an even greater challenge for the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), the state military which is trying to quell the rebel movement, as the AFC’s involvement has bolstered the growing rebellion’s military and logistical capabilities.

In January 2025, the AFC and M23 alliance seized the cities of Goma and Bukavu in eastern DRC, and established a parallel government to Kinshasa’s, making Goma in North Kivu its capital.

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This government is led by three figures: Corneille Nangaa (former president of the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission); Bertrand Bisimwa; and Sultani Makenga, who oversees military operations. To fund their war efforts and achieve financial self-sufficiency, the government has prioritized mining operations.

A report published on October 21, 2025, by the Oakland Institute, a California-based think tank, revealed that the AFC and M23 rebels are trying to raise money for logistics and weapons by taking over mines. Rwanda, which continues to provide the rebels with military and logistical support, is behind this strategy.

The report mentions over six million deaths, widespread rapes, massacres, torture, and the displacement of millions. The Oakland Institute further states that Rwanda and the rebel groups have seized control of several mineral-rich areas in North and South Kivu, resulting in large-scale local population displacement.

A mining war

Currently, most mineral-rich areas are in the hands of the insurgents. These include Walikale, a town rich in coltan, gold, and the tin oxide mineral cassiterite; the Bisie mine, one of the world’s richest tin mines; the coltan-rich Rubaya mines; and the Lueshe mine, known for its significant pyrochlore deposits. In the Lubero region, the rebels occupy gold-rich zones such as Musigha. Meanwhile, in South Kivu, they control Lumbishi, a mining town rich in tourmaline, coltan, gold, and cassiterite.

The AFC and M23 insurgents claim to keep their war ambitions separate from mining, as their coordinator Corneille Nangaa stated during a press briefing in Goma, North Kivu:

However, events on the ground tell a different story. The Oakland Institute report stresses:

The report also noted:

The same report further alleges that the AFC/M23 has facilitated the export of coltan from Rubaya to Rwanda. In its December 2024 assessment of the situation in eastern Congo, the UN Security Council condemned the group for:

In an effort to disrupt these revenue streams, the FARDC launched a drone strike on the night of October 23, 2025, bombing part of a gold-producing facility in the rebel-controlled Twangiza Mining site. This facility produces around 100 kgs (220 lbs) of gold each month.

Originally owned by a Canadian consortium, Twangiza Mining was later acquired by Chinese investors, who abandoned the site when the rebels arrived in May 2025. The company estimates that, over five months, the rebels stole approximately 500 kgs (1,100 lb) of gold, valued at around 70 million USD, from Twangiza’s gold mining concession.

Congolese authorities’ diplomatic failures

Congolese authorities continue to denounce Rwanda before international bodies, including the United Nations and the European Union, demanding an end to its support for rebel groups.

However, the peace agreement signed between the DRC and Rwanda in the United States on June 27, 2025, has collapsed due to the AFC and M23’s refusal to participate. Washington, meanwhile, has not remained inactive: between May and July 2025, the American company KoBold Metal secured the rights to Manono’s lithium deposits in eastern DRC, through a USD one billion deal with Australia’s AVZ Minerals.

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With the DRC government’s approval, KoBold Metal is now exporting some of the country’s most critical mineral resources. These deals are presented as part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to resolve the conflict in eastern DRC.

Yet, despite Washington’s intervention, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi acknowledges that he is unable to stop the war. On page 8 of his address to the United Nations on September 23, 2025, he urged:

In an interview with Congolese outlet Actualité CD, Tshisekedi openly went further, stating that if Donald Trump succeeds in ending the war in the DRC, he would support the US president’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. He admitted:

However, according to an article published by the Qatari media outlet AlJazeera on November 15, 2025, the M23 rebels and the DRC government signed a framework peace agreement with Doha, Qatar, aiming to bring an end to several years of conflict.

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