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Chad: Gold Rush in Guéra, the Specter of Illegality
Gaya – Ple Seid – With the Charilogone Editorial Team .
It is public knowledge that for years a huge gold deposit was discovered in the Abtouyour department by a Chinese company.
This discovery is the most important gold mine in Chad, with reserves estimated at billions of CFA francs. Yet the Chadian state refuses to officially announce it to the people of Chad for reasons still unknown. And yet, the deposit was located by a Chinese company called Shandong Gold Group.
A few months later, a group of Zakhawa began illegally exploiting this gold deposit, which provoked discontent among the local population.
The Reflection Committee wrote an article entitled “Strong Tension in the Guéra Region” on December 6, 2018, and the “untouchables” were dismantled on Saturday, December 15, 2018. Thanks to the personal intervention of the Head of State himself, Idriss Déby Itno, Marshal of Chad, who sent his aide-de-camp Ahmat Koussou Moursal to Mahamat Ali Hassaballah, former governor of Guéra. The latter carried out a field operation with law enforcement elements based in Mongo and Bitkine to dismantle this network of criminals who were exploiting the deposit in total illegality. Thus, order was restored in the illegally exploited gold zones, notably in Mataya, Sara-kenga, Bidété, Djaya, as well as Tomka and Doyo.
We recall here that the commissioning of this deposit requires an investment of billions of CFA francs and will generate at least 1,100 jobs, according to a confidential document indicating that gold prospecting is intensifying throughout Guéra. The province of Guéra has “additional potential” and perhaps more thanks to the mineral resources it possesses.
The gold content is 4.52 grams per ton. If the mine produces 10,000 tons annually, it could operate continuously and at full capacity for 40 years. It is the property of the Chadian people and, in principle, the documents should be handed over to the National Service of Geology and Subsoil for a possible national project to exploit this gold deposit.
It must be noted, however, that the Reflection Committee unfortunately observes that the government has issued a certificate to a Zakhawa businessman, Abdallah Ahmed Bakhit, a Chadian-Sudanese, and his company Société Afrika, to exploit this gold deposit privately. This was done with the complicity of administrative officials, traditional chiefs, and corrupt politicians of this department.
The Reflection Committee wonders how much each of them pocketed? Millions, without a doubt! We are deeply shocked and appalled by the behavior of these administrative officials, traditional chiefs, and politicians of this department. They bring great shame upon the local population, abandoned to their fate.
A year after their departure from the gold locality, we now deplore the return to Guéra of the “untouchables,” led by Abdallah Ahmed Bakhit, head of Société Afrika, a Chadian-Sudanese.
The site manager is a Chinese man, Zheng Ku, holder of the gold and diamond detector device, the name he gave to his employees on the ground—true or false? No verification has been made of his identity, nor of his residence permit! He is surrounded and supervised by at least 10 brigadiers of the Bitkine gendarmerie. In other words, administrative officials, political leaders, and traditional authorities are complicit in the activities of this Chinese man, Zheng Ku, in this gold deposit area.
Previously, the government itself had mentioned projects to develop a gold deposit in 2018. This began in the province of Greater B.E.T., precisely in Tibesti, and provoked strong tension that ultimately led to the deaths of men. This resulted in the creation of a self-defense committee by the natives of the region to confront the Chadian army in order to defend their interests.
On October 8, 2020, government spokesman Cherif Mahamat Zène announced the definitive halt to illegal gold exploitation throughout Chad. The Reflection Committee now asks:Is the province of Guéra not part of Chad?
Statement of the Reflection Committee
In light of the above, the Reflection Committee expresses its indignation and total disapproval of this attitude of illegally exploiting the natural resources of a department without taking into account the opinions of local citizens.
We therefore call upon the administrative and political authorities, particularly those in charge of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Mines, to put an end to this illegal exploitation of gold, which risks creating social tension throughout the province of Guéra and especially in the department of Abtouyour, if nothing is done within a short period of time.
The Reflection Committee fears the consequences for the populations of Guéra in general from this illegal exploitation of the gold deposit, notably: pollution of soils and rivers through the use of chemical products, human exposure to toxic vapors, disappearance of giant trees and virgin forests, and entire territories transformed into lunar landscapes. Gold mining has terrible repercussions for both humanity and nature.
If the very substance that confers value to things ends up producing toxicity against our environment, we will face major health problems. This is why we must persevere in a path that protects our ecosystem in order to avoid danger.
Furthermore, the Reflection Committee draws the attention of the Chadian authorities to the existence of a number of individuals from the regime, notably the Zakhawas, who consider themselves untouchable in this region, terrorizing the population that lives in constant fear. We do not accept that individuals claiming to belong to the ruling community should consider themselves lords and potentates in this province of Guéra, UNSUBMISSIVE AND FREE.
At the same time, the Reflection Committee denounces the illegal possession of firearms by certain communities in the province of Guéra in general, and considers this a provocation against the Government, which must assume its responsibility to ensure and guarantee the security of the local population.
To this end, the Reflection Committee calls upon the cadres of Guéra—those who believe themselves to be indispensable in matters relating to the province and who claim to be mandated to act on its behalf without the consent of the populations in whose name they occupy positions of political and administrative responsibility. These individuals remain silent, closing their ears and eyes before the Zakhawas, allowing themselves to be led like “the masters of Margaï before their cults.” This behavior must stop now.
Unfortunately, our true cadres of Guéra are all in the cemeteries—may their souls rest in peace. The Reflection Committee, through the new generation, is aware of all the problems of Guéra and particularly of the department of Abtouyour. It will assume its responsibility to defend the general interest of the population, humiliated and excluded from all processes. This population of Guéra is constantly deceived by those who consider themselves indispensable.
We therefore state here that, faced with this heavy silence, the Reflection Committee calls upon the deputies of the province of Guéra, and particularly those of the department of Abtouyour, to dare to speak out within the National Assembly to challenge the government on the difficulties faced by the population, severely afflicted by misery and poverty.
Statement of the Reflection Committee
The laborers work under difficult conditions with all possible health risks, since toxic products are used to facilitate the work. Each worker is paid 3,000 CFA francs per day, which means: 3,000 CFA × 30 days = 90,000 CFA per month. Special attention must be drawn to the role of tax havens and European and American multinationals in what amounts to outright plundering.
Chad, like the rest of Africa and the world, opposes the uncontrolled exploitation of the resources of this continent, which has paid the highest price for too long under liberal globalization, after having endured colonial empires.
Since 2012, an American settled in the canton of Djonkor-Guéra, 20 km south of Bitkine on the road to Melfi. He built four villas in the bush between three hills, precisely in Donguilo, 1 km from the main road, where no one is allowed to enter. He created a company called Société Moderne de Construction (SMC). All his employees are from the south of the country, out of fear of being denounced by the locals. He possesses all the diamond and gold detection equipment.
All of this is done with the complicity of local administrative, political, and traditional leaders, who benefit from this affair with the American known as “Moukoulou-blanc.”
His method consists of mixing carbon and transition metals under very high pressure and temperature to reproduce the natural process of diamond formation. For now, his technique only produces colored diamonds (yellow, orange, pink, and blue).
The Reflection Committee calls on administrative, political, and traditional authorities to dismantle this American who has been illegally exploiting natural resources for eight years in the canton of Djonkor-Guéra, specifically in Mokolou, in the locality of Donguilo.
In the extreme case, the village of Bonlong, 50 km west of Bitkine on the road to N’Djamena, must be mentioned. Bonlong was the first Administrative Post (PA) in Guéra in 1918, headed by Colonel Molle.
Today, this reference village is experiencing an open conflict between natives and foreigners from Sudan, over wells and land favorable for gardens. Administrative, political, and traditional authorities have sold land to these foreigners, legalized their ownership, and created problems between them and the natives. It is essentially a land conflict over control of water wells and fertile agricultural land sold by the sub-prefect and the canton chief.
We also recall that the village chief of Bonlong, Mahamat Kora, was summoned several times to the sub-prefect’s office in Bitkine.
Today, this conflict is real—between the sub-prefect and the village chief on one side, and between the canton chief and the village chief on the other. There have been fights between the two communities. This must stop immediately.
The Sudanese must return to their country, since Chad belongs to Chadians.
In the name of transparency in the exploitation of natural resources, the Reflection Committee:
Once again calls on the Government to officially inform the Chadian people of the discovery of gold in the department of Abtouyour.
Warns the heterogeneous group of Zakhawas in Guéra to avoid any illegal attempt to exploit the gold discovered in the canton of Dangueleat-Ouest, in the canton of Djoker-Guéra (department of Abtouyour), and in the canton of Bidio (department of Guéra).
Reminds that failure to respect the conditions will lead us to establish a self-defense organization to oppose the seizure and control of local resources, the common property of the Chadian people. “Enough is enough.”
Calls for respect of the word of the Marshal of Chad, Idriss Déby Itno, to avoid chaos in the department of Abtouyour.
Issues a solemn appeal to the Marshal of Chad, Idriss Déby Itno, to personally intervene for the definitive resolution of these gold-related problems in this area of Chad.
Demands respect for Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR):
Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Finally, the Reflection Committee warmly welcomes the establishment of the Crisis Committee in N’Djamena following our publication entitled “Strong Tension in the Guéra Region.” This committee visited the villages mentioned above, and the trip was concluded with a detailed report.
The Reflection Committee issues a solemn call to the youth for solidarity and general mobilization to block the path of the republic’s criminals. This gold deposit is the property of the Chadian people in general and of the department of Abtouyour in particular.
The Committee will, sooner or later, prosecute before the competent courts all persons involved in this illegal exploitation of gold in the department of Abtouyour for complicity in the plundering of common goods.
For the Reflection Committee
Gaya – Ple Seid – With the Charilogone Editorial Team
Tel: +4748127122 Email: bitkine2002@yahoo.fr
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