Overview

• At least 10 people have been confirmed dead following the collapse of the Luhihi artisanal gold mine in Kabare territory, South Kivu.
• Rebel-appointed officials cited poor construction, lack of maintenance, and climate-driven hazards as contributing factors to the collapse.
• Former South Kivu governor Jean-Jacques Purusi corroborated the collapse and noted that some bodies remain unrecovered under the rubble.
• The mine is located in a region controlled by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who seized key cities in eastern Congo earlier this year.
• The incident underscores systemic safety lapses in artisanal mining and comes as peace talks between M23 and the Congolese government continue.