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| Africa Subsaharan |
| 25 dead as rebel-held CAR mine collapses |
| 2014-08-23 |
| [ARABNEWS] At least 25 people died when a gold mine collapsed near the Central African Republic town of Bambari, a front man for the mainly Moslem Seleka ...a 'mainly' Moslem rebel force in the Central African Republic that overthrew the govt, imposed a regime of rapine and looting on the country's non-Moslem population, and was then tossed by France. They still exist, getting funding and weapons from somewhere or other, licking their wounds, complaining about the oppression of Moslems, and occasionally raping and looting someone... rebels which run the mine said on Friday. The mine at Ndassima is carved deep into a forested hilltop about 60 kilometers north of Seleka's military headquarters in Bambari. It is owned by Canada's Axmin but was overrun by rebels more than a year ago and now forms part of an illicit economy driving sectarian conflict in the country. At least 27 artisanal miners were buried in the collapse of the mine on Thursday and 25 bodies have been retrieved, Ahmat Negat, the rebel group's front man, said. The mine collapse is the latest setback for the country, which has been beset by sectarian violence between the Seleka rebels and Christian militia for over a year. Interim President Catherine Samba Panza on Friday stepped up plans to form a new government in a bid to help stabilize the mineral-rich country. A bigwig at the Ministry of Mines confirmed the mine collapse and casualties. He said the mine did not follow regulations and miners were working in dangerous conditions. "Nobody from our service is on the ground to regulate the miners so they dig without any rules. Lower than three meters it gets dangerous and with rain there can be collapses," the official, Georges Yacinth-Oubaouba, told Rooters. At Ndassima, laborers toil under the gaze of Seleka gunnies to produce some 15 kilos of gold a month. This is worth roughly $350,000 on the local market, or double that in international trade. Axmin suspended activity at the mine in late 2012 after rebels occupied its camp. The firm has said since then that it was monitoring the situation at the mine. The Seleka, a coalition of mostly Moslem rebels and some fighters from neighboring Chad and Sudan, seized power in March 2013, triggering sectarian violence with Christian militia. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Thinking about a new career? Artisanal cheesemaker: Good. Artisanal goldminer: Not so much. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2014-08-23 12:46 |