Niger clamps down on illegal mining

FRANCE 24 English

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00:00 In January, Niger clamped down on undeclared gold mining in the central region of Agadez.

00:06 Dozens of mining permits were suspended, but legally registered contractors say the penalties

00:11 have hit them the hardest.

00:14 "It hasn't been long since our license was revoked.

00:19 Our bosses brought problems upon themselves by not following the rules, by not paying

00:23 taxes and duties.

00:24 It's only fair to pay what's due to the state.

00:27 We can't work and ignore the state's rights.

00:29 This land belongs to all of us.

00:31 It's not just for one person to benefit from."

00:35 The crackdown followed Ethiopia's confiscation of around 1,400 kilos of black market gold

00:42 from Niger.

00:43 The consignment was part of the booming illicit trade in West African gold sent to the Middle

00:48 East.

00:49 A 2022 study on the transparency of Niger's extractive industries found that only 2% of

00:55 gold sent to Dubai was officially declared.

00:57 Authorities are trying to tighten up regulations but face an uphill battle.

01:02 "Before, it was survival of the fittest.

01:08 It was the jungle.

01:10 But now the government has sent mining agents.

01:14 They control the permits.

01:17 And even if you don't have a permit, but have a wall where you are searching for gold,

01:23 they will come and question you.

01:27 If there's security, they will explain everything to you.

01:30 And now you have to pay taxes."

01:34 As individuals take advantage of the free fall, the country's fragile economy loses

01:39 out.

01:40 From politicians to foreign investors, many influential people are implicated in the illegal

01:45 trade of Niger's gold.

01:47 Corruption is also a concern amongst those meant to police the sector.

01:52 "A lack of resources and accountability have led to notoriously high incidents of

01:59 corruption amongst those meant to police the gold trade."

02:08 Niger has tried to tackle this and around a hundred customs officials, gendarmes and

02:13 police officers linked to the sector have already been fired or transferred this year.

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