Local residents in Kohliat village in the Kadugli area of Sudan’s South Kordofan State say that they have discovered gold sources in the area since two weeks ago but were dispersed from the area by security forces.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj from the mining site, a source who preferred anonymity said several local citizens and some soldiers were engaged in unauthorized mining. This prompted confrontations last Friday between the miners and elements from the Sudanese Armed Forces.

“Many people have come to mine gold, even the traders. The market is almost closed because the traders have also come to work in the site,” he said. “In the evening the miners go to sleep in Higerat area where there are gold mills and relative security.”

In the latest incident on Friday, a captain from Intelligence Service reportedly came and banned the miners. It is alleged that he took sacks of gold dug by the citizens to the airport.

The soldiers opened fire on the miners so as to disperse them, the same source alleged. He said the commissioner came after the incident and reopened the goldmines and several miners returned to work on Sunday.

File photo: A processing site at a gold mine in South Sudan (Marcus Bleasdale / Human Rights Watch)