DAKAR: Rebels occupying Twangiza Mining’s gold concession in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have looted at least 500 kilograms of bullion since May, the company told Reuters, accusing some of its own employees of aiding the theft.
At current prices, the looted gold is worth around $70 million.
The mine is located in South Kivu province, where Rwandan-backed M23 rebels staged a lightning offensive this year that allowed them to seize more territory than ever before. They seized the mine in May.
“With the help of some employees, they transported the first batch of more than 50 kg of gold out in a very short time,” Twangiza Mining said on Monday in a written response to Reuters’ queries about losses since M23 seized the mine.
“Since the occupation, they have obtained at least 500kg of gold and secretly transported it through underground channels,” the company said.
M23 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Twangiza Mining, which is headquartered in Congo and describes itself as a Chinese firm, said it lost over 100 kg of gold a month since the takeover, in addition to $5 million worth of equipment and materials.
The company is preparing to file a formal complaint with international arbitration and Congolese authorities, and has declared force majeure, it said.
It accused the rebels of expelling residents, demolishing churches and using Rwandan technicians to extract geological data to resume and expand mining.
“There are more than 150 workers left on site. We cannot get in touch with them,” the company said.
The Rwandan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A drone strike on October 15 destroyed power generation infrastructure at the mine. It is not clear who was responsible for the drone strike.
Fighting in eastern Congo has killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands this year.
Armed groups have seized several mining sites in the mineral-rich eastern Congo, according to UN investigators.
A UN Security Council briefing last year said M23 rebels were earning around $300,000 monthly from mineral taxes in the coltan-rich Rubaya region.
US President Donald Trump brokered a peace deal between Congo and Rwanda in June as part of an effort to stabilize eastern Congo and bring in Western mining investments.
Rwanda has consistently denied backing M23 rebels, despite repeated allegations from UN experts and regional governments. Qatar has been hosting direct talks between Congo and M23.
The two sides missed an August deadline for a peace deal as part of that process but on October 14, they agreed to a monitoring mechanism for an eventual ceasefire.
M23 rebels loot $70m worth of gold from Congo mine since May, company says
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M23 rebels loot $70m worth of gold from Congo mine since May, company says
- “With the help of some employees, they transported the first batch of more than 50 kg of gold out in a very short time,” Twangiza Mining said
- It lost over 100 kg of gold a month since the takeover, in addition to $5 million worth of equipment and materials
Trump administration steps up efforts to scrutinize foreign funding of universities
- US colleges and universities disclosed 8,300 transactions totaling $5.2 billion in 2025 — which includes funding from governments as well as private companies and individuals
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is stepping up work to uncover what it sees as malign foreign influence at US colleges and universities, officials said on Monday as they announced that the State Department would assist the Department of Education in that effort. President Donald Trump has threatened to cut federal funding to universities over issues such as pro-Palestinian protests against US ally Israel’s war in Gaza, transgender policies, climate initiatives and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, raising free speech and academic freedom concerns. Trump in April 2025 issued an executive order calling for enforcement of Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, which requires colleges that receive federal funding to report gifts or contracts worth more than $250,000 from any foreign source, and the Department of Education in December launched a new portal for universities to report that funding.
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers said the State Department’s new role would “ensure an invigorated compliance assurance effort by the federal government.”
“The Department of State will be applying our national security expertise and our expertise countering foreign malign influence to bolster oversight efforts by the Department of Education,” Rogers told reporters in a briefing at the State Department.
Officials declined to spell out specific examples of how foreign funding had unduly influenced higher education institutions, and said they were primarily seeking to boost compliance by the universities and improve transparency. The US Senate subcommittee on investigations in 2019 issued a report documenting China’s impact on the US education system, sparking renewed enforcement of the disclosure rules. US colleges and universities disclosed 8,300 transactions totaling $5.2 billion in 2025 — which includes funding from governments as well as private companies and individuals, the education department said in a statement. The largest source of funding last year was Qatar ($1.1 billion), followed by Britain ($633 million) and China ($528 million), it said.
