See our series: VOIX DU CONGO
This publication, by the “Association des Exploitants Miniers Artisanaux pour la Pacification et Reconstruction de l’Ituri” (AEMAPRI), presents a study on gold panning and the use of mercury in Ituri.
The Ituri Province is one of the DRC’s resource-rich provinces; notably gold, coltan, cassiterite, diamonds and oil. Gold production in Ituri is essentially artisanal as historical industrial companies such as SOKIMO and its partners have not produced gold in this province for almost twenty years.
The inter-ethnic and economic wars that have affected the province have led to the destruction of all the economic fabrics of Ituri.
The purpose of this study is to
(1) present the history of the discovery of gold in Ituri Province and the way in which the minerals were mined and processed, and
(2) sound the alarm about the massive presence of mercury in mining sites and its misuse by artisanal miners when such use is prohibited by the Congolese Mining Regulations.
The purpose of this report is to raise awareness among local communities about the dangers of mercury and to make recommendations to state authorities, gold miners and international organisations.
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IPIS supports non-governmental organisations in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and provides the support and platform to disseminate their research results, within the framework of the project “Voix du Congo”.
The opinions and facts reported in these reports do not, in any way, reflect IPIS or IPIS’ researchers’ positions but give an insight into the way Congolese civil society organisations work and analyse the problems and realities they face.
Other publications of this series are available here: “Voix du Congo”.
