RUBAYA, Congo (AP) 鈥 Nestled in the green hills of Masisi territory in Congo, at the artisanal Rubaya mining site, hundreds of men labor by hand to extract coltan, a key mineral crucial for producing modern electronics and defense technology.
Rubaya lies in the heart of eastern Congo, a mineral-rich part of the Central African nation which for decades has been ripped apart by violence from government forces and various armed groups.
As the U.S. spearheads peace talks between Congo and Rwanda, Congo鈥檚 President Felix Tshisekedi has sought out a deal with the Trump administration, offering mineral access in return for American support in quelling the insurgency and boosting security.
Bahati Mo茂se, a trader who resells coltan from Rubaya鈥檚 mines, hopes that, regardless who controls the mines, the workers who labor to extract the minerals will finally be valued as much as the resources themselves.
鈥淭he whole country, the whole world knows that phones are made from the coltan mined here, but look at the life we 鈥嬧媗ive,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 continue like this.鈥
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This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors.
Text from AP News story: 鈥淐ongo鈥檚 coltan miners dig for world鈥檚 tech 鈥 and struggle regardless of who is in charge,鈥 by David Yusufu Kibingila and Monika Pronczuk
Photos by Moses Sawasawa
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