Amnesty International has made public a report in which it denounces that fighters from the March 23 Movement (M23) would have carried out extrajudicial executions, torture, unlawful detentions, and forced recruitments against workers from artisanal mining operations in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The document also states that the armed group facilitates the clandestine shipment of gold and coltan to Rwandan territory.
The report, titled "Democratic Republic of the Congo: 'We did not come to play.' Abuses committed by the M23 in artisanal mines and trafficking of gold and coltan to Rwanda," places most of the abuses in the mines of Rubaya, in North Kivu province, and in Lomera, in South Kivu.
According to the investigation, M23 members would have forced miners to work under extreme conditions, keeping them underground for more than a week at a time in some coltan operations near Rubaya and in the Lomera area.
Amnesty International warns that the documented events could constitute war crimes. Furthermore, the alleged plundering of mineral resources and the trafficking of gold and coltan to Rwanda could fit, according to the organization, into the war crime of pillage.
"The investigation shows how the M23, backed by Rwanda, uses violence and fear against those who work in the mines while mineral resources are transported across the border," stated the Secretary General of Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard.
Callamard has denounced that this situation allows Rwanda to continue profiting from the mineral wealth coming from the DRC and has called for a much firmer international response. "The African Union and its member states must take much bolder action," she asserted, warning that the lack of a clear stance against the alleged plunder and abuses could lead to similar scenarios repeating.
The head of the NGO has also urged international actors not to continue ignoring the reports about the M23, the illicit trade of minerals in conflict zones, and the possible involvement of Rwanda. In the same vein, she has demanded that all responsible individuals, including Rwandan authorities, face justice.
Deaths of miners and torture in Rubaya and Lomera
The investigation collects testimonies about the death of at least 18 miners in Rubaya and Lomera. Ten would have been beaten to death, two died from gunshots, and another six, who had been kidnapped, appeared dead later, according to the accounts of family members and eyewitnesses.
Another 16 miners and civilians residing in the vicinity of the mines have described episodes of torture and mistreatment attributed to M23 fighters or members of security groups that cooperate with them.
In this context of violence, the organization points out that the militia would be using three shipping containers located near Rubaya as detention centers, which would be added to the so-called "ndake" or underground cells.
The mines would also have become, according to witnesses interviewed by Amnesty International, places where the armed group recruits fighters by force.
Gold smuggling routes from the DRC to Rwanda
The report identifies indications that gold extracted in areas under M23 control in the DRC is being clandestinely transported to Rwanda through already established smuggling routes.
Testimonies from miners and other people linked to the exploitation of Lomera indicate that the land with gold content would be loaded into bags on boats at the Lomera port and then transported to a "sand port" in Kamembe, in the Western province of Rwanda, used as a reception point for sand for construction.
For Amnesty, the volume of gold and coltan that would arrive in Rwanda and the alleged involvement of Rwandan leaders alongside the M23 point to a possible direct participation of Rwanda in the looting of Congolese natural resources.
"This investigation should serve as a wake-up call to Rwanda that Rwandan individuals may incur international criminal responsibility for facilitating the trafficking of looted minerals to Rwanda," warned Callamard.
The Secretary General added that Rwanda could face state responsibility for abuses against miners if the Rwandan individuals present in the operations acted under the direction or control of the country's authorities, even if they were not officials.
Amnesty calls to stop gold and coltan purchases from Rwanda
Amnesty International has called on governments and companies around the world to suspend the purchase of gold and coltan from Rwanda. The recommendation extends to processing companies and refineries in third countries that acquire these minerals from Rwandan suppliers.
The NGO proposes to maintain this suspension until the Rwandan government provides clear evidence that it has stopped receiving minerals from illegal trafficking from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It also demands that the Rwandan authorities ensure that no Rwandan person—armed or not—participates or remains in the mines of Rubaya and Lomera in relation to the reported abuses.
In the same vein, the organization urges the United States and the countries of the European Union not to sign mining exploitation agreements linked to Rubaya or other mines under the control of the M23 in the DRC, unless full and unimpeded access is ensured for international human rights observers and independent monitoring mechanisms.
The report reminds that international obligations regarding human rights affect both states and companies involved in the supply chains of minerals. Therefore, corporate responsibility, according to Amnesty, is not limited to those who directly extract the resources, but extends to all actors involved afterwards in their trade and processing.
"The crimes described in this report should serve as a warning to all companies that buy minerals from Rwanda," stated Callamard, emphasizing that companies could face criminal liability if their involvement in these trade chains constitutes complicity in war crimes.