Several gold mines have been temporarily closed due to a series of animal deaths, local sources said.
The death of many animals in Niger has led to the temporary closure of several gold mines in Niger’s desert north.
According to the breeders, the animals died after drinking water released by the Chinese gold mining company Sahara SARL.
“Our animals (goats, sheep and camels) began to die for no apparent reason. We recorded 24 deaths in two days and at the end of April, we finally realized that the massacre was caused by the harmful products contained in the water from the mines released into the wild,” explained Youssaf Houssa, the chief of Tamannit, one of the affected villages.
After investigation, the Nigerien Ministry of Minesa ordered the temporary closure of at least four of the mining sites.
According to the private newspaper Aïr Info, published in Agadez (north), an official report confirms that the disaster was caused by “chemical products” used in the mines and which “represent a serious threat to fauna and the water table”.
Note that NGOs often accuse the French company Orano (formerly Areva), which has been producing uranium for more than 40 years, of polluting the already very hostile animal environment and of causing radioactivity in the Arlit region (north). ).
