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LAWMAKERS URGED INVESTIGATE ILLEGAL MINING IN SOUTH SUDAN

Activist Urges Parliamentary Mining Committee to Act on Rising Illegal Mining

Juba – South Sudan: A civil society activist has called on the Committee on Mining in the National Parliament to take swift action in addressing the growing cases of illegal mining across the country.

The call follows the release of a new report by a Swiss company highlighting widespread illegal gold mining activities in South Sudan. According to the findings, the illicit operations continue to fuel environmental degradation, loss of national revenue, and exploitation of local communities.

Edmund Yakani the executive director of CEPO is urging lawmakers to urgently investigate the allegations and strengthen oversight on mining activities to ensure transparency and accountability in the sector.

“We have seen an international organization, which is a Swiss aid, carry out a research on gold mining in South Sudan, and their research findings indicate that gold trading in South Sudan is completely out of control of the state, or gold trade in the country is illegally carried out at a tune of US$1 billion that does not benefit the citizens of South Sudan or does not even benefit the government in delivering services to the citizens of South Sudan. This is shocking, this is surprising, this is clearly indicating that some people are nurturing violence in order to loot us in that manner. Therefore, as an activist, with this report that is officially published, we are urging the leadership of the Mining Committee in the Parliament to take up this report seriously”, Yakani said

He further appealed to the government to enforce existing mining laws and protect local communities affected by unregulated mineral extraction.

The Parliamentary Committee on Mining is yet to respond to the concerns raised.