A confidential United Nations investigation seen by Africa Independent News alleges that Kigali-based Boss Mining Solution has been purchasing coltan siphoned out of rebel-held territory in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, indirectly channelling revenue to the M23 movement.
Key findings
Unprecedented volumes of contraband
UN experts say shipments leaving the Rubaya mining zone – now under M23 control – are being trucked overnight across the Bukavu and Congo border posts into Rwanda, where they are blended with legitimate output before export. The panel recorded almost 200 tonnes entering Rwanda in the final week of March alone.
Corporate trail
Boss Mining, managed by Rwandan businessman Eddy Habimana and partially owned by two Britain-based Russian investors, allegedly bought part of that ore through intermediary firm Speck Minerals. Those purchases, the investigators contend, breached international due-diligence guidelines designed to keep conflict minerals out of global supply chains.
Financial lifeline for rebels
By taxing each sack of coltan dug by artisanal miners, M23 is thought to be generating up to US $800,000 a month – income that helps the group consolidate recent territorial gains and fund weapons, recruitment and logistics.
Rwanda rejects claims
Kigali said the report “misrepresents” its security posture along the border and repeated longstanding concerns about hostile Hutu militias operating inside Congo. Boss Mining maintains it sources ore only from vetted Rwandan sites and denies any links to smuggling rings.
Wider context
M23’s rapid advance since early 2024 has given the Tutsi-led rebels control over swathes of North Kivu rich in coltan, gold, cassiterite and gemstones. Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing the insurgency to plunder Congo’s mineral wealth – a charge Rwanda denies. A US-brokered framework signed last week envisages the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congolese soil, but does not cover the rebels themselves, whose separate talks in Doha have yet to yield a ceasefire.
Supply-chain ripple effects
Coltan from Rubaya feeds global demand for tantalum, a heat-resistant metal used in smartphones, aerospace components and medical devices. Analysts warn that mingling rebel-taxed ore with legitimate supplies threatens certification schemes and could expose downstream electronics brands to legal and reputational risk.
What happens next
The 300-page UN document was delivered to the Security Council’s sanctions committee in May and is expected to be made public in the coming weeks. Diplomats say it could pave the way for targeted asset freezes or travel bans on individuals or companies found to be enabling the trade.
If adopted, such measures would mark the first time since M23’s resurgence that a specific exporter has been publicly linked by the UN to the conflict-minerals pipeline – underscoring, investigators say, “the most significant contamination of regional supply chains to date.”