The Democratic Republic of Congo is considered to be a rich reserve of deposits like diamonds, copper, cobalt, and other minerals. But recently, a bizarre new discovery has been unearthed in the country’s South Kivu province. Read on to know more.
As per a report in Outlook India, villagers in Congo’s Luhihi, which is 50 km away from the provincial capital Bukavu, discovered gold in the area’s mountain soil in late February.
Freelance journalist Ahmad Algobary tweeted a video of the same, captioning it, “A video from the Republic of the Congo documents the biggest surprise for some villagers in this country, as an entire mountain filled with gold was discovered! They dig the soil inside the gold deposits and take them to their homes in order to wash the dirt& extract the gold.”
The moment of washing the dirt and extracting the gold. #Congo pic.twitter.com/7L1V1Clm30
— Ahmad Algohbary (@AhmadAlgohbary) March 2, 2021
The video shows thousands of people that have flocked to the mountain with tools like shovels to dig out the gold-rich ore. Some of them are even spotted using their bare hands to extract it.
Soon after the discovery that led to this massive influx of people from the small village, the authorities issued an order which banned mining on the mountain until more oversight is established. All mining activities were suspended until further notice, and miners, traders, and other members of Congo’s armed forces (FARDC) were asked to leave all the mining sites in and around the Luhihi village, HT reports.
South Kivu Mines Minister Venant Burume Muhigirwa said that the presence of the FARDC at the mine sites (otherwise prohibited under Congo’s mining code) contributed to the “disorder”, reports BBC. The decree added that the discovery put pressure on the small village, and that order must be re-established in Luhihi’s mining activities to “not only to protect lives but also to ensure the traceability of the gold produced in line with Congolese law.”
What do you think of this unexpected gold rush? Tell us!