United Nations investigators say illicit mining at the Shinkolobwe uranium mine in east Congo is putting thousands of locals at risk of contracting cancer because of high radiation levels. They also warn that the nuclear ore, if left unpoliced, could find its way into the hands of terrorists.
The investigators, who went to Shinkolobwe following a shaft collapse that killed at least eight miners, said privatizing the mine could solve these and other problems.
In a release, U.N. authorities recommended that the mine be “secured and put in the charge of a private operation for much more disciplined operations, with the aim of avoiding risks, including the high rate of radioactivity and uranium trafficking.”
Belgium, the Congo’s former colonial ruler, stopped uranium mining at the site around the time of independence in 1960 by filling the main shaft with concrete. But many locals continue to mine the area, which is also rich in cobalt.
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