The National Minister for Wildlife Conservation and Tourism, Rizik Zachariah Hassan, has ordered the shutdown of illegal gold mining in Boro Madina, located in Raja County, Western Bahr el-Ghazal. He stated that the mining companies had only been authorized to conduct exploration but had instead started full-scale mining, which posed serious environmental risks.

Minister Hassan expressed concern over the activities of several companies operating within a game reserve. He noted that these companies were using harmful chemicals such as mercury, which pose a threat to both wildlife and human health. He emphasized that the issue was beyond the state’s authority and would be escalated to the National Council of Ministers and the economic cluster for further action.

The government had initially permitted these companies to conduct exploration, requiring them to report back to Juba for formal agreements with the Ministry of Mining before starting operations. However, they bypassed this process and began mining illegally. During a visit to the site, officials discovered that the companies had dug as deep as 40 meters using heavy machinery.

Hassan revealed that the companies were extracting about 6 kilograms of gold daily and selling it to foreign traders, including individuals from Chad, Somalia, and Sudan. He pointed out that the revenue from this illegal operation could have been used to pay county staff salaries, highlighting the loss of national resources.

Stephen Robo Musa, the Western Bahr el-Ghazal State Coordinator for the Community Empowerment for Progress, welcomed the minister’s decision. He argued that the illegal mining activities were not benefiting the local community and urged the national government to step in and regulate resource management effectively.

Musa praised the move as a necessary step, emphasizing that strong directives from the national government were needed since state authorities alone could not handle the problem. He called for immediate government action to safeguard the country’s natural resources and ensure proper management of mineral wealth.