"Sudan activist warns of ‘dire consequences’ of toxic gold extraction"

A workshop held by Sudan’s Ministry of Minerals and the Sudanese Company for Mineral Materials in Port Sudan earlier this week ignored environmental studies on health and safety, including studies concerning the use of toxic mercury and cyanide, activist and head of the National Committee for Environmental Advocacy Ahmed Mokhtar told Radio Dabanga...

He pointed out that the communities within mining areas are not involved in the workshops and said that “the aim of the workshop is to investigate how to obtain financial returns from mining, regardless of the damages...

He criticised the ministry and the company for dealing with gold in an “unscientific and unguided manner without taking into account the catastrophic effects...

Chairman of the Preliminary Committee of the Union of Minerals of Red Sea state... said that the method of certification of mining companies is vague, calling for the start of certification procedures from mining areas through a conflict-free procedure to avoid any conflicts with the public or interethnic conflicts...

Sudan is reportedly the second-largest producer of gold in Africa and the ninth in the world. Gold mines are scattered across Sudan, including Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile. Artisanal mining has also drawn hundreds of thousands of gold seekers to the deserts of Sudan’s northern and eastern states...

Traditional gold mining is carried out by excavating the gold-bearing soil. The soil is then treated with mercury and cyanide to extract the gold. The highly toxic waste is often poured directly into valleys and streams, leading to heavy pollution.

Protests against traditional gold mining have increased in recent years in several states in the country, especially South Kordofan, North Kordofan, North Darfur, and Northern State. In South Kordofan, at least 10 gold mining plants in have been closed by activists during the past few years. In October 2019, the government prohibited the use of mercury and cyanide in gold mining.