[miningmx.com] – WEST African country, Ivory Coast, is to shut hundreds of illegal gold mining sites in an effort to stem violence, unregulated immigration and environmental destruction, said Reuters citing minister of industry and mines Jean-Claude Brou.
“Once we’ve cleaned things up, those who want to work will come to the administration and seek authorisation. We’ll give them training,” said Brou who was commenting on what the government would do once it had dismantled 148 illegal mining sites.
The country is recovering from a decade-long political crisis that ended in a brief 2011 civil war, and the government is now seeking to develop the mining sector as part of efforts to diversify the economy, said Reuters.
Informal, unregulated gold mining became rampant during the years of turmoil due to the absence of state authority, particularly in the rebel-occupied north, it said.
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