Global Witness traces M23 'conflict coltan' through Rwanda into Apple, Microsoft and Nvidia supply chains
A 10 June 2026 investigation says Rubaya coltan, taxed by M23 at $4/kg, is relabelled Rwandan and sold into the world's biggest tech brands
Summary
A Global Witness investigation (10 June 2026) traced "conflict coltan" from M23-controlled mines around Rubaya in eastern Drc into the supply chains of Microsoft, Apple, Sony, Amazon, Nvidia, Toyota, Vodafone, LG Display, Ericsson and Honda. The mineral is smuggled into Rwanda, relabelled as Rwandan and exported. UN experts estimate >120 tonnes/month crossed Rubaya-to-Rwanda in 2024 (≥1,400 tonnes within a year), the "largest contamination of mineral supply chains" in the Great Lakes in a decade. M23 taxes the trade at $4/kg, raising ~$800,000 a month since May 2024. The ITSCI tagging scheme fails because tags are applied in Kigali; EU 2021 regulation exemptions for small importers let laundered material through.
By the numbers
- ~15%, share of world tantalum supplied by the Rubaya mines.
120 tonnes/month, coltan smuggled Rubaya-to-Rwanda (May-Oct 2024); ≥1,400 t within a year.
- $4/kg, M23 tax on coltan; ~$800,000/month raised since May 2024.
- 10, major tech/EV brands named as downstream buyers.
Why it matters
Coltan yields tantalum, essential to capacitors in phones, servers and EVs, so the AI and battery boom runs partly on a mineral that funds M23's war. The laundering exposes the failure of "conflict-free" tagging and of EU/US due-diligence rules, and ties the DRC-Rwanda war directly to global tech demand.
What to watch
- Whether named brands audit suppliers or face EU/US enforcement.
- Reform of the ITSCI tagging scheme and EU Conflict Minerals Regulation exemptions.
- Coltan flows if the DRC-Rwanda peace process or M23 control over Rubaya shifts.