Zambian police disperse over 25,000 illegal gold miners from site in northwest

By James Kunda

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) - Police in Zambia dispersed more than 25,000 illegal miners from a site covering a 120-kilometer (75-mile) radius rich in gold deposits in the country’s northwest.

More than 20 vehicles, 100 scanning machines and gold detectors along with five guns were also confiscated from the miners in the Kikonge area of Mufumbwe District, where recent clashes led to two fatalities and injuries to several police officers.

Zambian Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister Jack Mwiimbu said Sunday that some of the seized guns were “military ones,” a situation which showed the illegal miners were armed to the teeth apart from mining without authorization.

The statement was issued Sunday by the ministry’s principal public relations officer, Mwala Kalaluka, announcing that Mwiimbu and Defense Minister Ambrose Lufuma along with North-Western Province Minister Robert Lihefu visited Kikonge on a mission to assess the security situation in the area.

Kalaluka said that while addressing reporters at the airport in Solwezi, the capital of North-Western Province, Mwiimbu clarified that two fatalities were recorded, while the number of police officers injured after being attacked by the illegal miners was 11.

"More reinforcements will be sent to Mufumbwe to deal with the problem of illegal mining, which is still prevalent," Kalaluka said, adding that Kikonge had been invaded by over 50,000 illegal miners and two of the officers who were seriously injured were among those receiving treatment at a hospital.

In a separate statement Sunday, the Ministry of Defense’s principal public relations officer, Paul Shalala, said Lufuma explained that the location had been cordoned off to pave the way for a well-structured mining operation to commence in the near future.

"He bemoaned that illegal mining leads to loss of revenue to the government and environmental damage to the ecosystem. He said the Ministry of Defense will not allow lawlessness in Kikonge, as they (illegal mining activities) are not just a health hazard but also recipe for conflict and other social ills," Shalala said.