Who buys Rwanda’s smuggled coltan?

Global Witness reports that conflict coltan from the DRC's Rubaya mines is being smuggled into Rwanda and laundered into global supply chains through failed due diligence systems like ITSCI and Better Mining. The investigation identifies seven Rwandan companies responsible for 85% of exports, five of which are directly linked to conflict coltan. This material is processed by smelters in China, Kazakhstan, and Thailand, eventually reaching global brands such as Apple, Microsoft, and Toyota via tantalum capacitors.

• The M23 rebel group, backed by Rwanda's military, seized the Rubaya mines in April 2024, making coltan a primary funding source. M23 generated an estimated US$800,000 per month from taxes on coltan production and trade starting in May 2024.
• Smuggling of coltan from the DRC to Rwanda reached unprecedented levels, with UN experts estimating over 120 tonnes per month were trafficked between May and October 2024. At least 1,400 tonnes were smuggled within a year of M23's takeover.
• Rwandan officials are accused of facilitating smuggling, with reports of border officials recording coltan arriving from the DRC. Rwanda's coltan exports increased more than 2.5 times between 2021 and 2025, a surge that does not align with the country's actual production capacity.
• The ITSCI traceability system is being used to launder smuggled coltan by assigning conflict-free tags to minerals from Masisi. Global Witness found that exporters who are ITSCI members buy conflict coltan and tag it as Rwandan to legitimise it for export.
• The Better Mining traceability system has also been compromised, with evidence that companies suspended by ITSCI for due diligence failures, such as Space Mining and Philbert Trading Minerals, sourced conflict coltan while working with Better Mining.
• Seven Rwandan companies exported approximately 85% of the country's coltan between January 2023 and September 2025. Five of these—African Panther Resources, Sunrise Metal Company, Boss Mining Solution, Kanzamin, and Philbert Trading Minerals—were found to have bought conflict coltan from Rubaya.
• Conflict coltan is processed by eight identified smelters, primarily in China (including Ningxia Orient Tantalum Industry and Jiujiang Tanbre), Kazakhstan (Ulba Metallurgical Plant), and Thailand (Taniobis).
• The Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (RMAP) audits failed to detect conflict links, finding all eight identified smelters compliant despite evidence that at least four processed coltan from Rubaya.
• Tantalum derived from conflict coltan enters the supply chains of major global brands through capacitor manufacturers. Brands linked to these smelters include Apple, Microsoft, Vodafone, Sony, Amazon, Nvidia, LG Display, Ericsson, and Toyota.

APA

Global Witness (2026). Who buys Rwanda’s smuggled coltan? https://globalwitness.org/documents/1016/Global_Witness_Who_buys_Rwandas_smuggled_coltan_Sept2026.pdf

Chicago

Global Witness. Who buys Rwanda’s smuggled coltan? 2026. https://globalwitness.org/documents/1016/Global_Witness_Who_buys_Rwandas_smuggled_coltan_Sept2026.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Witness |title=Who buys Rwanda’s smuggled coltan? |date=June 2026 |url=https://globalwitness.org/documents/1016/Global_Witness_Who_buys_Rwandas_smuggled_coltan_Sept2026.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalwitness2026who, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Who buys Rwanda’s smuggled coltan?}}, institution = {Global Witness}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://globalwitness.org/documents/1016/Global_Witness_Who_buys_Rwandas_smuggled_coltan_Sept2026.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }