Military deploys to keep Abim gold rush site out of bounds

Summary:

• UPDF 5th Infantry Division have deployed personnel in Okemer village, a newly discovered gold site in Alerek and Chamkok Sub-Counties in Abim district to keep it out of bounds

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The Uganda People’s Defence Forces – UPDF 5th Infantry Division have deployed personnel in Okemer village, a newly discovered gold site in Alerek and Chamkok Sub-Counties in Abim district to keep it out of bounds.

It follows a directive by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to close the mine site to allow a formalization tour of mining activities in the area.

The President’s directive was conveyed to the leaders of Abim by Phiona Nyamutoro, the Minister of State for Energy and Mineral Development while touring the gold mine on Thursday.

From mid March to early May, 2024, Alerek recorded an influx of over 3,000 people including business people from neighbouring Kenya and South Sudan rushing to mine gold in the area raising security and environmental concerns.

Among other things, Nyamutoro explained that the President directed immediate closure of the gold mine citing lack of clean water source, lack of sanitation facilities, presence of pregnant mothers and school going children from Alerek and Loyoroit Primary Schools.

Abim Resident District Commissioner James Shilaku, also the District Security Committee Chairperson told URN that the UPDF will maintain presence at the site to safeguard the local population from insecurity that may arise from the gold rush activities until proper operating guidelines are established.

However, the Chairperson of the newly formed Kakoka Artisanal Gold Miners Association protested the President’s directive to close the mine site arguing it’s a source of livelihood to the youth, men and women in the area.

Equally, Julius Cedric Abala, 78 year-old elder in the area also protested the closure describing it as a clandestine move by the government to enable the military to secretly extract gold to the detriment of the local population.

Abala argued that since 2013, herds of wandering elephants and buffaloes from Kidepo Valley National Park have been invading the Alerek community and destroyed their livelihoods while the government kept mute and why sudden directive on gold.

The artisanal gold minders have been selling a gram of gold at the site at 300,000 Shillings, a lucrative venture that prompted the gold rush. Now President wants the Ministry of Energy to expedite sourcing a potential investor to develop the gold mine site for enhanced benefits to the host community.

According to Nyamutoro, the amount of gold deposits in the area remains unknown, adding that geologists from the Ministry have been tasked to produce a technical report on the status of the precious mineral and devise recommendations on how safely the artisanal miners could operate.

Notably, in 205 President Museveni issued a government ban on unrefined gold and other minerals after the country recently unearthed a monumental gold discovery of 31 million metric tons of gold valued at USD 2 trillion.