New regulations for North Darfur gold mining, markets

The director of the Sudanese company for mineral resources in North Darfur, Mohamed Adam Musa, announced the launch of a reorganisation of the gold markets at Jebel Amer in El Sareif and Ein Besarou area of El Malha locality.

He said that this step has led to the entry of national companies and new investments in Jebel Amer to work according to the directives of the state.

The reorganisation was announced in October.

The Commissioner of El Sareif locality, Mohamed Ismail Adam, said: “The stabilised security situation in Jebel Amer has attracted gold miners whose numbers have increased from 7,000 to more than 20,000”.

The Commissioner called on the federal authorities to intervene to regulate the traditional mining; for it not to remain open as it was in the past. He said that this will avoid problems where mining was available to anyone who held a gold detector and was out of the control of the authorities.

The reorganisation includes measures to improve the health situation for the workers, the restructuring and legalisation of the Jebel Amer market, and “the prevention of monopolising the land in the area for personal interests”.

The Commissioner praised the cooperation of the mining companies in the campaign.

In October, large formations of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in dozens of armed vehicles carried out a large-scale search campaign for illegal weapons in Jebel Amer. Militants controlling the mine reportedly fled.