Eastern DRC journalist in rebel custody for more than a month

Inside the rebel-held mines in eastern Congo that help power your smartphone

Rebels have captured vast areas of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. That land, controlled by the M23 movement, is rich in critical minerals which the rest of the world is desperate to get its hands on. It’s a scramble involving the US, China and tech giants which is helping fuel a devastating conflict. Channel 4 News was granted access to the coltan mine near the Rubaya, where impoverished locals  seek a mineral CRUCIAL for making our s…

Eastern DRC journalist in rebel custody for more than a month

Kinshasa, October 30, 2025—The M23 and Congo River Alliance (AFC) rebel groups must ensure the immediate and unconditional release of journalist Ricardo Olenga, detained for over a month in the eastern city of Goma, in North Kivu, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On September 19, 2025, intelligence agents with the M23 and AFC rebel groups detained Olenga, a reporter with the privately owned Radio Kako FM broadcaster, at their …