Rubaya, Democratic Republic of the Congo – More than a month after a mine collapse in the eastern Congolese city of Rubaya killed hundreds of people, heavy rains once again lashed the area, destabilising the open, steep mine slopes and causing another deadly landslide.In the aftermath of the March 3 disaster, the Congolese government said 200 people had died at the Kasasa mining site, including 70 children – the majority of them labourers in artisanal mining operations in the resource-rich city.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listFifteen-year-old Mishiki Nshokano* was one of the children who survived that day.Now recovering at an undisclosed location in the city of Goma, some 60km (37 miles) away, he tries not to think about the trauma he suffered and the friends he lost.But he says he will soon have to return to the mines, because he has “no other choice”.Rubaya, in eastern DRC’s North Kivu province, is a town that sits on stores of coltan, tin, and tungsten – some of the world’s most valuable minerals that are essential for use in modern technology.But many of those who mine these raw materials used in smartphones and electric cars – especially the children – say they don’t know what the material is used for and their main concern is just getting enough to make a daily living.Nshokano, the eldest of three children, has worked as an artisanal miner in Rubaya for the past four years to support his family.Though child labour is technically illegal in DRC, much of the informal mining sector is unregulated.In Rubaya and …
