Rwanda National Police

Rwanda National Police (RNP) has cautioned the public against illegal mining activities, which continues to be the main source of disasters in concessions and loss of lives.

This comes in the wake of separate incidents and operations in which a number of illegal miners have been killed by cliffs in concessions and other quantities of minerals seized from arrested illegal dealers.

On Wednesday, one person was killed by rocks in Rulindo District as he was mining illegally in a cassiterite concession located in Masoro Sector, Nyamyumba Cell in Kigomwa Village.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Alexis Rugigana, the Police spokesperson of Northern region, said that the deceased—Abudoni Ndolimana, 38—tilted the rock causing rockslides.

In a similar fatal incident on Tuesday, three people were buried by a cliff and two others rescued in Kamonyi District, Nyamiyaga Sector, Ngoma Cell, Kamabuye Village where they were also mining coltan illegally.

The incident was triggered by a cliff, which had been weakened by the rains and caved-in after it was tampered with by the miners.

On the same day, residents of Gitwa Village in Cubi Cell, Kayenzi Sector also in Kamonyi, intercepted a man suspected of ambushing and stealing minerals from dealers, and recovered 18.5kgs of minerals which he was attempting to steal.

One Daniel Ukurikiyeyezu, 25, was also intercepted in Remera, Gasabo District by the Revenue Protection Unit (RPU) carrying over 70kgs of minerals on a motorcycle. The Motorcycle registration number RE 630E was also impounded to Remera Police station where the suspect was also detained.

Elsewhere, Police in Rulindo, Masoro Sector also arrested three men, who were found in a cassiterite concession located in Shengampuri, Nyabinyana Village, as they were mining unlawfully.

Police said that the “strengthened operations are meant to ensure that mining is done according to the law, fight illegal mining activities, related smuggling and tax evasion, and to save lives.”

Law No. 58/2018 of 13/08/2018 on mining and quarry operations, in its article 54, states that “any person who undertakes mineral or quarry exploration, exploitation, processing or trading without a licence, commits an offence.

Upon conviction, he or she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than two (2) months and not more than six (6) months and a fine of not less than Rwf1 million and not more than Rwf5 million, or only one of these penalties.

The court also orders confiscation of any seized minerals or quarry in storage, trading or processing without a licence.