National Minister for Wildlife Conservation and Tourism, Rizik Zachariah Hassan, has closed down illegal gold mining in Boro Madina of Raja County in Western Bahr el-Ghazal.
Hassan said the mining companies were only permitted to do exploration but were currently mining with all the risks to the environment.
“There are many companies in our game reserve which are doing illegal mining. They use mercury and other chemicals which are dangerous to animals and humans,” said Hassan.
“This problem is beyond the state level and I will take this to the national Council of Ministers. I will share it with the economic cluster so that action is taken because they are doing illegal mining,” he said.
The minister also mentioned that the government was concerned about the misuse of the national resources.
“The companies operating there were only given a greenlight for exploration, so that they return to Juba to the national Ministry of Mining to sign an agreement, but they just started mining, which is illegal,” he added.
“On our visit to the mining site, we understood that they have reached 40 meters deep, using machineries,” he said.
He said the companies were obtaining 6kg of gold everyday and selling to foreigners, including Chadians, Somalis and Sudanese.
The current daily quantity, the minister said, could cover the salaries of all the county staff.
Reacting to the decision, Western Bahr el-Ghazal State Coordinator for the Community Empowerment for Progress Stephen Robo Musa welcomed the ban, saying the illegal mining was not benefiting the county.
Musa urged the national government to take immediate action to control the national resources.
“The initiative taken by the national is the right move. We need strong directives from the national government because it is beyond the state authorities,” said Musa.