Rwanda Exportes Congolese Coltan to Tech Giants says Global Witness

A major new investigation by Global Witness reveals how conflict coltan,looted from mines in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and financing the brutal M23 rebellion, has flooded global supply chains. Over 2,000 tonnes of this smuggled mineral, originating from the Rubaya mines that supply 15% of the world’s tantalum (a critical component in smartphones, laptops, cars, and electronics), have been laundered through Rwanda and into products from major brands including Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Sony, Nvidia, Toyota, Vodafone, LG Display, Ericsson, and Honda.

The report, titled Who Buys Rwanda’s Smuggled Coltan? (June 2026), traces the entire journey and exposes systemic failures in due diligence, traceability systems, and international oversight. Here’s exactly how it happens, step by step, based on the investigation’s findings from interviews with smugglers, trade data analysis, and on-the-ground evidence.

1. Conflict Coltan Mined and Taxed in DRC’s Rubaya Mines

The Rubaya mines in North Kivu province, DRC, are among the world’s richest coltan deposits. Since April 2024, M23, backed by 7,000–12,000 Rwandan troops, has controlled the area. M23 has turned the mines into a primary revenue source for its war, which has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.

M23’s parallel administration, led by key figure Erasto Bahati, selects friendly traders, runs taxation at mining sites (US$4 per kg to M23 + US$3 per kg to Rwanda), and enforces compliance through beatings, fines, and repression. Child labor and deadly landslides are documented. UN experts estimate M23 generates US$800,000 monthly from these taxes since May 2024. By early 2025, M23 also controlled significant 3T mineral (coltan, cassiterite, wolframite) production in South Kivu.

2. Smuggling Across the Border into Rwanda

Most coltan is smuggled directly into Rwanda, often via Goma (under M23 control) in plain sight of Rwandan officials. Global Witness observed officials recording incoming coltan. Smugglers report authorities are “fully aware.” Coltan is mixed with Rwandan production in Kigali to obscure origins. No confiscations of smuggled coltan have been documented in two years.

Rwanda’s official coltan exports more than doubled (rising 2.5x from 2021–2025), despite the country’s own low domestic production. Experts and the UN have long accused Rwanda of exporting DRC-looted minerals. Rwanda refuses geochemical “analytical fingerprinting” tools and withholds mine-level production data.

3. Rwandan Exporters Buy and “Legitimize” the Conflict Coltan

From January 2023 to September 2025, just seven companies exported ~85% of Rwanda’s coltan (per customs data):East Group Minerals (29.7%)

• Sunrise Metal Company (18.1%)

• African Panther Resources (9.8%)

• Tawotin (9.2%)

• Kanzamin (8.1%)

• Boss Mining Solution (6.8%)

• Philbert Trading Minerals (3.5%)

Global Witness found direct evidence that at least five of the top seven, African Panther Resources, Sunrise Metal Company, Boss Mining Solution, Kanzamin, and Philbert Trading Minerals, routinely buy conflict coltan from Rubaya. Smaller exporters Space Mining and Rani Mining also sourced it. Some have ties to M23 or senior Rwandan figures; others have histories of smuggling documented by the UN and Global Witness.

4. Traceability Systems Launder the Minerals

Legal requirements demand tracing Rwandan minerals before export. The dominant system, ITSCI (used by all major exporters until early 2025), assigns unique tags to bags supposedly free of conflict. Smugglers told Global Witness that exporters or authorities simply apply tags in Kigali or even at the border, turning DRC coltan into “Rwandan” coltan. ITSCI-tagged exports surged in lockstep with Rwanda’s overall exports.

An alternative system, Better Mining, has taken on some suspended ITSCI firms. ITSCI reported dozens of incidents of tag misuse and plausibility concerns, yet suspended or expelled only a handful of companies (some briefly reinstated). RMAP audits by the Responsible Minerals Initiative also failed to flag the risks.

5. International Traders and Smelters in China and Kazakhstan

Exporters sell (often via affiliated middlemen) to international traders such as Traxys (Luxembourg; major buyer from African Panther), Halcyon, Novacore, Minterra, and East Rise Corporation (linked to long-time DRC conflict mineral traders). Shipments frequently route through Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The coltan reaches smelters, primarily in China (Jiujiang Tanbre Co., Jiujiang Jinxin Nonferrous Metals Co., Ningxia Orient Tantalum Industry, Ximei Resources) and Kazakhstan (Ulba Metallurgical Plant). Specific links include:

• Jiujiang Tanbre → African Panther/Traxys and likely Sunrise Metal.

• Ningxia Orient → Sunrise Metal and others.

• Jiujiang Jinxin → Boss Mining Solution/Novacore and Sunrise Metal.

• Ulba → East Rise Corporation (sanctioned by US Treasury for conflict minerals).

These smelters process coltan into tantalum, which is used for capacitors.

6. From Smelters to Capacitors to Global Tech Brands

Tantalum capacitors are essential in electronics. Major capacitor makers (Kemet, Kyocera AVX, Vishay, Panasonic, Hongda) source from the implicated smelters. Downstream brands reporting these smelters in their supply chains include Microsoft, Amazon, Vodafone, Sony, Nvidia, LG Display, Ericsson, Toyota, Honda, and Apple (which listed Ulba in 2023). Conflict coltan thus enters everyday products like phones, laptops, and vehicles

RMAP audits (the main certification for smelters) declared all eight relevant smelters compliant in 2024–2025, despite clear evidence of conflict links, because they cannot reliably verify origins without effective traceability or fingerprinting.

What Global Witness Recommends

ITSCI, Better Mining, and RMAP were designed 15+ years ago to stop conflict minerals. Instead, they have been gamed to launder smuggled coltan on an unprecedented scale. Rwanda’s opacity, lack of independent verification, and complicity exacerbate the problem.Key recommendations from the report:

• Companies: Stop buying Rwandan coltan until M23 withdraws from Rubaya mines (or rigorously verify origin/grading themselves).

  
  

• International community: Suspend military exports to Rwanda; make aid conditional on ending support for M23; sanction M23 commanders, responsible Rwandan officials, and profiteering companies.

The Global Witness investigation shows that, despite two decades of reforms, conflict minerals continue to finance war while reaching consumers’ pockets. Until governments, companies, and auditors enforce real accountability, rather than relying on flawed paper systems, the cycle will continue. The full report details company-by-company evidence, trade flows, and responses from those named.