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February 4, 2026
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GOMA (February 3, 2026) – Global Christian humanitarian organization World Vision is deeply saddened by news of a deadly landslide at the Rubaya artisanal mining site in Masisi Territory, North Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has claimed the lives of more than 200 people following heavy rainfall. An estimated 70 of them are children, although exact figures are yet to be confirmed as recovery efforts continue.
The disaster has had major consequences for communities already weakened by years of armed conflict, forced displacement, and chronic poverty. In eastern DRC, control of mineral-rich areas has long fueled violence, pushing families from their homes, disrupting education, and leaving children with few options other than unsafe and poorly regulated mining or other hazardous work to survive.
Rubaya sits at the heart of a lucrative coltan-producing area, where profits from poorly regulated artisanal mining have repeatedly been linked to the financing of armed groups. These groups profit from insecurity, while children pay the price – displaced from their homes, forced out of school, and drawn into dangerous mining work that exposes them to exploitation, injury and death.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy,” said Aline Napon, national director of World Vision in DRC. “Children should be in school, not working underground in dangerous conditions that put their lives at risk. Yet the minerals extracted here help fuel the conflict that displaces families in the first place – and ultimately end up in global supply chains that generate profits far beyond Congo, while local communities remain trapped in poverty and danger.”
The collapse occurred during a period of intense rainfall, which caused soil instability and the failure of several underground shafts while miners were inside. Children are usually used in the mines to engage in small-scale trading and help to carry goods. Many survivors, including children, have sustained serious injuries, with some transferred to hospitals in the regional capital, Goma, for specialized care. Authorities have temporarily closed the site to support recovery efforts, though access remains extremely difficult.
Communities around Rubaya were already under severe strain due to ongoing insecurity, displacement, and chronic poverty. The disaster has left families grieving, injured people requiring long-term medical support, and households suddenly without income. Children now face heightened risks of exploitation, psychological trauma, family separation, and being pushed further into hazardous labor as families struggle to cope.
“Beyond the immediate loss of life, this tragedy will have long-lasting impacts on children’s safety, wellbeing and futures,” said David Munkley, World Vision’s zonal director in eastern DRC. “Emergency assistance is urgently needed, but so is action to address the deeper drivers — conflict, weak regulation, and poverty — that continue to force children into the most dangerous forms of work.”
World Vision has been working in the eastern DRC since 1984, focusing on responding to the humanitarian needs of children and families in the region. World Vision’s WALIP program is currently working in North Kivu with local protection organization Coeur Sans Frontière to reach over a thousand children whose lives have been uprooted by the recent surge in violence and who have been forced to work in mines or on the streets to survive. The WALIP program helps them access psychosocial care and gives them a pathway back to education and safety.
About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. Motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ, we serve alongside the poor and oppressed as a demonstration of God’s unconditional love for all people. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, visit worldvision.org or follow on X @WorldVisionUSA.