Several gold mines in northern Niger controlled by a Chinese company have been ordered to temporarily close after dozens of animals died from drinking effluent, local authorities told AFP on Sunday.
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Pastoralists around the town of Tabero cited mining in the Sahara SAR as the only explanation for the animals’ deaths, saying the region was not plagued by drought or epidemics.
Yousaf Husa, the head of Tamannit village, one of the affected villages, said: “We counted 24 people dead in two days, but it was only at the end of April that the cause of the massacre was discovered to be water denied by the mine.” “I realized that it was caused by harmful substances,” he said.
Almou Akori, who lives in another village, Fasso, said he had lost 16 animals, but said, “Some of my neighbors don’t even know how many animals they’ve lost.”
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In January, China’s Sahara Special Administrative Region began mining for gold in the middle of grazing land with few natural water sources.
Niger’s Ministry of Mines has ordered the temporary closure of at least four mine sites following a visit by police investigators on Friday, sources said.
“The Chinese have suspended their work and we are monitoring the animals,” Husa said.
Local private newspaper Air Info said official reports confirmed that chemicals threatening the water table had caused a “catastrophe” at the mine, which is already a harsh environment for livestock farming.
The French company Orano (formerly Areva), which has been extracting uranium in northern Niger for more than 40 years, is regularly accused by NGOs of polluting the environment.
(AFP)
