Batouri gold mines continue claiming lives
In the wee hours of August 14 2022, about ten people were rushed to the Kambele gold mine in attempt to extract what was left in the holes dug for gold exploitation. Unfortunately, three of them met their Waterloo while four others sustained injuries.
The victims: Ngangam Youssouf in his 30s, Charles Boumzina 22 and Ngambesso Geovani 17 reportedly fell in a hole and died while the others managed to survive with injuries and are at the Batouri district hospital for proper health care.
After first enquiries, the commander of the territorial brigade Chief Warrant Officer Pierre Mirihoul disclosed these persons entered clandestinely into the site owned by Mrs. Wang a Chinese expatriate.
On July 27th 2022, the Senior Divisional Officer for Kadey, Djadai Yakouba, had ordered a halt in all activities in these gold mines for the safety of the population but some clearly decided not to heed to instructions.
Such deaths have been recurrent in the Kadey division and recent publications from FODER, an NGO specialised in the safety of the population in these areas, show that in the East and Adamawa mines, 24 landslides have been reported while 12 persons have died by drowning. In the East region alone, 56% of the population have drowned in gold holes, 26% in landslides and 11% in robberies
