MUYINGA August 29th (ABP) – The Minister of Hydraulics, Energy and Mines, Ibrahim Uwizeye promised Friday, to the population of Giteranyi, Buhinyuza, Mwakiro and Butihinda communes of Muyinga province (north-eastern Burundi), that it will soon have lighting. Minister Uwizeye, accompanied by a few executives from his ministry, announced that during a discussion session with the authorities of the province.
The purpose of that visit was to inform the administrative officials and the heads of the decentralized services, of the missions of his ministries and the services that he can offer to the province.
That visit was also an opportunity to discuss artisanal gold mining by cooperatives. Minister Uwizeye once again informed the operators that they must comply with the regulations in force which govern these cooperatives. The latter must, he recalled, declare their daily production and sell all the production to the Bank of the Republic of Burundi. “Anyone who is caught fraudulently selling gold or other minerals will be considered an enemy of the country,” he stressed, while deploring the fact that some cooperatives do not transport gold produced at the BRB. Of the 15 kg of gold already harvested, only five have already been deposited at the BRB. The rest is still in the hands of the cooperatives.” Beware of anyone who tries to steal these minerals”.
Also, he returned to the incompatibility of administrative officials, their families and members of the police to be members of mining cooperatives. Administrative and defense and security bodies are there to regulate the exploitation of minerals only.