Illegal gold panning equipment, including 37 pumps, were seized by the Senegalese army in Sekhoto on the banks of the Falémé, as part of the application of the presidential decree prohibiting this mining activity within a perimeter of 500 meters around the course of water.
A major clandestine gold panning site was dismantled in Sekhoto, on the edge of the Falémé, according to a press release from the Armed Forces Public Relations Directorate (Dirpa) published this Sunday, November 10.
The operation, carried out on November 9 by forces from Military Zone No. 4, resulted in the seizure of substantial equipment used in illegal mining, including 37 pumps and several generators. Transport equipment, including motorcycles, as well as various other equipment were also confiscated.
This intervention is part of regular patrols carried out in the region, aimed at enforcing the decree prohibiting mining activities around the Falémé.
During his visit to Kédougou on October 18, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye highlighted the environmental emergency in the Falémé area, a major tributary of the Senegal River. Faced with the threats that illegal gold panning represents for water resources and the ecosystem, a presidential decree established a 500-meter exclusion zone around Falémé, prohibiting all gold panning activities until June 2027.
This measure aims to guarantee the supply of drinking water to several major cities, including Dakar, Touba, Thiès and Mbour. “ This is a major concern when we know that the Falémé is a tributary of the Senegal River which supplies water for domestic use to Dakar. », declared President Faye during his visit.
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Senegal
