Officially, the mining license is held by Société Minière de Bisunzu Sarl (SMB), associated with Congolese senator Édouard Mwangachuchu.

However, the concentrate also contains about 0.14% uranium and 0.02% thorium, which is enough naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) to entail significant complications in handling.

Mines in the Rubaya area were controlled by several armed groups during the conflict period, including Rally for Congolese Democracy–Goma, March 23 Movement, and National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP).

Returning to the DRC from asylum in the United States, Mwangachuchu went into the mining business with Robert Sussman, an American physician.

[17] A UN Group of Experts on the DRC report submitted in June 2021 presented evidence of armed fighting and weapon distributions in Rubaya's coltan mines.

[22] The December 2023 report of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo noted that since September 2023, the Rubaya mining areas have been under the direct control of "Wazalendo" militias such as ANCDH and PARECO-FF who have allied with the governmental FARDC troops.

The armed groups began collecting ¨protection" money from miners, with the production continuing illicitly despite a ban from North Kivu provincial authorities and the collapse of due diligence monitoring.