The Central African government closed the Zamboé mine after its collapse and the death of more than 100 people, citing non-compliance with mining standards amid ongoing investigations.
The government of the Central African Republic announced on Saturday the closure of the Zamboé gold mining site in the western part of the country, whose collapse earlier this week killed more than 100 people and injured others.
Minister of Mines and Geology Rufin Benam Beltongo attributed the decision to "non-compliance with mining safety standards and administrative guidelines," while investigations into the circumstances of the disaster continued.
This incident is the latest mining disaster in this mineral-rich Central African nation. Such tragedies are common, as a large part of the population relies on small-scale extractive mining for their livelihoods. Workers are exposed to serious risks due to inadequate protection and weak mine oversight, often leading to disastrous outcomes.
Search and rescue efforts by local workers were hampered by a severe lack of expertise and equipment needed to cope with the scale of the disaster. It is worth noting that the Zamboye site was officially closed before the accident, but illegal miners had been sneaking in to work there.
In this context, Quentin Ngboando, leader of the civil society organization “E Joy”, confirmed that the minister’s decision was clear and welcome, noting that the gold miners who violated the regulations were digging outside the legal framework.
