22 November 2022
Rubaya: at least 32 people killed in landslides in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Posted by Dave Petley
Rubaya: at least 32 people killed in landslides in the Democratic Republic of Congo
There are various reports that landslides occurred in the towns of Rubaya and Bihambwe in the Masisi (North Kivu) part of the Democratic Republic of Congo on 18 November 2022, killing 32 people. Of these 26 people were killed at Rubaya, whilst six were killed at Bihambwe. It is not clear as to whether this was a single landslide that affected both sites, or two separate landslides. Radio Kapi has an image of a large landslide, but again it is not clear as to whether this is the event that cost so may lives at Rubaya:-
A landslide at a mining site near to Rubaya in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is unclear as to whether this is the event that cost 26 lives. Image from Radio Kapi / Denise Lukesso
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The landslides were triggered by heavy rainfall, but appear to have been associated with illegal and/or unregulated mining activities. Floodlist reports extensive flooding and landslides in the Democratic Republic of Congo since early November, including four deaths in Bunyakiri in the territory of Kalehe in South Kivu.
A freelance journalist, Baraka Munyampfura Héritier, has tweeted a short video of a landslide destroying houses in the area. The interesting part happens in the first 15 seconds:-
#RDC Au_moins vingt personnes sont mortes samedi et vendredi dans des éboulements et inondations causés par des fortes pluies dans le site minier de #Rubaya en territoire de #Masisi au #Nord_Kivu. Parmi les victimes des creuseurs et villageois selon l' #AFP. pic.twitter.com/r1pct2vuiA
— Baraka MUNYAMPFURA Héritier (@HeritierBarak) November 20, 2022
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There is little information at present as to the circumstances of this event.
The mines at Rubaya are described in Wikipedia. They appear to be focused on the extraction of coltan (tantalite), from which niobium and tantalum are extracted. These mines are in the vicinity of -1.558, 28.884. The Google Earth imagery of the area does not present a pretty picture:-
Google Earth imagery of the Coltan mines in the area of Rubaya in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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There is a lack of detail about landslides of this type in parts of Africa. It seems likely that events are substantially under-reported.
Dave Petley is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. His blog provides commentary and analysis of landslide events occurring worldwide, including the landslides themselves, latest research, and conferences and meetings.
Indeed sobering, but we should expect noting less in deforested hilsides, with surfaces now mined, slope toes taken out, no planning, not an actual engineered site…just hacking at the earth to sell to comptoirs, and later in containers laden for Asia. How is anyone surprised this is the result and future ongoing reality across these extraction areas. Similar to the Jade mines where death is a by product just as the JADE is, and that has been going on for many decades.
Without a national affinity for safety, education, and organization of “mining”, this will continue unabated as climates and local ecology are challenged.