Authorities have decided on Friday, May 3rd, 2024, to temporarily close several gold mining sites in the northern part of the country. In this area, located over 1000 kilometers from the capital Niamey, in the Agadez region, more than fifty ruminants died suddenly on April 30th. According to villagers fighting for the preservation of their environment, the animals were poisoned by chemical residues linked to gold mining.
Surrounded by artisanal gold miners, Ibrahim Kemil, police commissioner and administrator of the Tabalot commune, asks them to indefinitely halt their activities. He states that the instructions come from the Minister of Mines. The numerous workers present are stunned. Four sites are affected by the suspension of gold extraction in the area. This area, situated at the foot of the Baguezan Mountains in the Air desert, normally only permits artisanal or semi-mechanized mining operations.
In addition to small-scale miners in the sector, a Chinese company, the Sahara Mining Company, has been accused for weeks of causing environmental damage by local livestock breeders. The “irresponsible use of chemicals” is particularly singled out.
Mining at the Heart of Niger’s State Policy
A week ago, images of dozens of goats writhing in pain and agonizing after drinking impure water near the Fasso extraction site convinced the population to appeal to the authorities.
The authorities also explain the preventive suspensions as necessary to “investigate the potential causes of these losses and prevent further incidents.”
Mining sites are at the heart of Niger’s state policy. During a fifteen-day tour throughout the country to visit all ore extraction sites region by region, the Minister of Mines, Colonel Commissioner Ousmane Abarchi, will visit the affected localities on May 13th.