North Darfur refutes death figures at gold mine
May 5, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The government of North Darfur dismissed death figures circulated in the media this week of miners who got trapped inside a collapsed gold mine.
The committee concluded that only one mine was impacted and that five people were killed. Three of the bodies were retrieved while efforts to get the remaining two failed.
A delegation from the African Union-United Nations mission in Darfur (UNAMID) accompanied the committee and certified the findings, the government said.
The statement said that they had no reports of missing persons in the period of April 29-May 4 in the gold mine area.
Earlier this week it was reported that 100 miners have died at the gold mine in the Jebel Amir district, more than 200 km northwest of North Darfur capital of El-Fasher. Nine other rescuers were killed as well.
On Thursday, the Jebel Amir district chief, Haroun al-Hassan, said “the number of people who died is more than 60,” but added it was unclear whether anyone might still be alive according to Agence France Presse (AFP).
The East African country is looking for gold to make up for the budget deficit it incurred as a result of losing three quarters of its oil production due to the secession of South Sudan in July 2011.
But a significant portion of Sudan’s gold production comes from thousands of artisanal miners who have joined the gold rush across the country.
(ST)