Defence Minister Mr Ambrose Lufuma says the military has been ordered to crush illegal mining Zambia across the country. He warned that the trade, if left unchecked, could give rise to armed militias and push Zambia towards anarchy. The order came from the top. Mr Lufuma said…

Defence Minister Mr Ambrose Lufuma says the military has been ordered to crush illegal mining Zambia across the country. He warned that the trade, if left unchecked, could give rise to armed militias and push Zambia towards anarchy.

The order came from the top. Mr Lufuma said President Hakainde Hichilema had directed the Ministry of Defence to curb illegal mining Zambia in the national interest, and the military had been handed the task of restoring order wherever the trade had taken root.

“We’re not going to tolerate illegal mining Zambia and so the military has been given the responsibility to bring sanity in the country,” Mr Lufuma said.

The minister pointed to the experience of other gold-rich nations to explain the urgency. Countries with minerals such as gold had spiralled into confusion, he said, and the military had been tasked with containing the problem before Zambia reached the same point.

His sharpest warning was about what could grow out of the pits if nothing is done. Illegal mining, the minister said, was a danger to the nation and could give birth to armed militias loyal to whoever controls the gold.

“We don’t want to see a situation where militias and tribal chiefs are formed because of minerals which may later become a menace to society,” he said.

That danger is no longer theoretical. Last week, rival factions of suspected United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres fought running battles in Mpika District, Muchinga Province, over control of illegal gold mining. They left behind the shells of burnt-out vehicles and demolished makeshift shelters used by illegal miners.

The Mpika fighting has been linked to known figures with connections to the ruling party. Asked about the clashes, Mr Lufuma said the problem went beyond party cadres. He described illegal mining as a national problem drawing in young people from all walks of life.

The Kabompo East lawmaker put a number on the scale of the trade in North-Western Province. There were more than 80,000 illegal miners in Mufumbwe alone, he said, and most of them were not politically affiliated.

Political connections, the minister made clear, would offer no shelter once the operation moves in. There would be no sacred cows, and the army would carry out a thorough clean-up.

“Illegal mining leads to instability in the country and I personally will not tolerate that vice. That is why the military has been tasked to deal with this scourge,” Mr Lufuma said.

He also looked beyond Zambia’s borders for the money behind the pits. Foreign elements, the Defence Minister said, were operating in the background and sponsoring illegal mining in the country.

The crackdown will not be fought by one ministry alone. The Ministry of Defence has agreed with the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development that all forms of illegal mining will be dealt with, a joint position that takes the military’s role beyond any single district or gold field.

Mufumbwe is familiar ground for the security forces. The military previously led a joint operation to clear illegal miners from the Kikonge gold fields in the district. The minister’s latest remarks extend that mandate to illegal mining wherever it is found.

For the miners in Mufumbwe and the factions that clashed in Mpika, the message from the Ministry of Defence is direct. The President has issued the order and the military has the task. In Mr Lufuma’s words, the soldiers are coming.