SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Sudanese govt’s decision on gold mining met with mixed reactions

14/10/19: Radio Dabanga - Sudanese govt’s decision on gold mining met with mixed reactions

 Radio Dabanga reports on mixed reactions to the government’s decision to forbid the use of toxic cyanide and mercury in gold mining.

 In a joint statement, the Resistance Committees Coordination of various South Kordofan locaties affected by the toxic mining said the decision falls below their demands. They stressed that gold mining companies operate without clear legal frameworks, and that the government should remove them from the region.

 They also called for prosecution of guilty mining companies, and for financial compensation from them.

 The National Committee for Environmental Protection has welcomed the decision, and called for executive bodies to closely monitor gold mining company operations.

 The Six-Party Committee for Resistance to Mining Damage said they need assurances that the government will find alternatives for vulnerable people benefiting from traditional mining.