Africa-Press – South-Sudan. An activist has called on communities in South Sudan to take a more active role in managing and protecting their natural resources and holding mining companies accountable, while the Mining Minister has pledged transparency in the sector and warned that companies that violate the law will not be allowed to operate in the country.
James Boboya Edmund and Minister Losuba Ludoru Wongo made the remarks during a Tuesday discussions on Eye Radio’s Sundown Show on the governance of the mining sector, which remains central to South Sudan’s economy and a key source of livelihood in several regions.
The activist raised concerns over improper accountability, environmental protection, and benefit-sharing regulation and community participation.
Boboya said communities must engage more directly in monitoring how natural resources are managed to ensure they benefit from them.
“We call for continuous partnership with the ministry, and I think through his leadership we can be able to achieve a lot in civil society,” he said. “We also call for South Sudanese citizens to take responsibility of their own resources and hold those companies accountable.”
He added that weak oversight risks denying communities the benefits of their resources. “Because without holding those companies accountable, they will lose their resources and they will not benefit from that,” he said.
“If they begin to partner with the government in terms of holding the companies accountable and holding the government accountable, they will get a value of their own resources, because those resources belong to them in the first place.”
On the government side, Mining Minister Losuba Ludoru Wongo said the sector plays a critical role in the country’s economy and livelihoods, adding that operations must comply with national laws and regulations.
“The most critical aspect of this conversation is the fact that the mining sector is very critical in as far as the economy of the country is concerned, and not only the economy, but the lives of the people are concerned,” he said.
“In order for us to move forward in this sector, we need to promote safe mining so that all those who are involved in the mining have their dignity respected and they can be able to benefit from these resources.”
He said companies operating in the sector are required to respect the law and local regulations.
“Any company that actually get involved or wanted to get involved in this sector must be able to respect the people of South Sudan, must be able to respect their laws, must be able to respect the regulations that are set,” he said.
“That way, it will safeguard the company itself, and then it will safeguard their interests, and then as well as the money that they are investing.”
Wongo said the Ministry of Mining will strengthen oversight to improve accountability in the sector.
“The Ministry of Mining will advance under my leadership to ensure that there is transparency in the process of all these mining activities, and it is also to ensure that we are accountable for any activity that we actually put forward,” he said.
He warned that companies failing to comply with the law will face action from the government.
“We will not tolerate any company that violate the laws,” he said. “If you don’t violate the law, I just have to tell you that you cannot work with us.”
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