Africa-Press – Uganda. Security officials have announced a crackdown on illegal miners following a weekend incident in which four people perished after a gold mine caved in, killing them instantly in Bihanga Sub County, Buhweju District.
The Buhweju Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Nicholas Nuwagira identified the victims of the December 9 accident as Mathias Saturday (28), James Nuwagaba(25), Baturaine Anatori(25), all residents of Buhweju District) Venansio Mbaga (20) from Ibanda District.
The RDC said “the deceased were artisanal miners carrying out the activity illegally at around 5pm when the incident occurred.”
While speaking to Monitor on Sunday, Buhweju deputy RDC Godfrey Tumwebaze said they are going to intensify operations to crack down on illegal miners who authorities attributed the incident to.
“These are local artisanal miners who mine gold under unclear circumstances. We have warned them to get out of the mines during the rains and they have not complied. Buhweju has been receiving large amounts of rainfall which make the soils loose with possibility for accidents. We are going to arrest whoever is in the mines without a mining license,” he said.
Mr Tumwebaze noted that mineral protection police which is instrumental in enforcing the law and stopping illegal mining activities is overstretched.
“This is because almost the whole district is a mining area and the police cannot cover the whole area. This means we should get more policemen to man the mines. These people died in the evening because they want to go when no one is seeing them,” he noted
He further disclosed that security officials have already talked to the district and regional police commanders to mobilize more personnel to regulate miners.
“We are even going to move in at night to arrest whoever is mining in the dark hours because it is very dangerous and that’s why people are dying and we shall not sit and watch as people lose lives,” he remarked on December 11.
In Uganda, estimates show that at least more than 20 people die annually in mining disasters although they are not very rampant.
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