Congo: Mountain made up of gold-rich soil discovered in a village, authorities ban mining

In a bizarre incident, hundreds of people flocked to a small village of Luhihi in the Democratic Republic of Congo to illegally mine gold after a mountain made-up of gold deposits was discovered. According to BBC, the mountain is said to be made up of 60-90% of gold, which triggered a frenzy as several miners from all over the country gathered near the mountain to dig up the prized mineral. In the video, that is going viral on social media, people can be seen digging up and keeping the soil so they could wash and extract the gold later. 

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Authorities ban mining

According to the report, authorities have banned mining in the village to prevent illegal miners from stealing precious material. The government on March 1 issued a decree banning miners, traders, and members of the military to stop mining near the mountain. Congo is full of natural resources and people often exploit the lack of law and order situation in the country to extract rich minerals for their personal benefits, without permission or paying required taxes.

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In Congo, armed groups often take control of mines with precious minerals, including gold and then force people to extract resources out of them so they could sell and use the money to buy arms and ammunition. This contributes to the rise of militia groups with control on major gold-producing areas and also causes infighting in the country. The recent incident is just another example of how things work in the African nation. 

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The decree, issued by the provincial government earlier this week, asked people to stop mining near the mountain in order to safeguard traceability, which is required under the law. The illegal mining and control of armed groups on mines often lead to gold being underreported in Congo. 

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