By KEMO CHAM

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Sierra Leone authorities have detained 31 Chinese nationals as part of a nationwide clampdown on illegal mining.

Reports of the arrests in the northern Tonkolili District on Wednesday came as a court in the eastern Kono District sentenced another group of 17 people, including 10 Chinese and two Turkish nationals, on similar charges.

The suspects were arrested while in possession of a melted lump of gold worth over $15,000, officials say.

They pleaded guilty of illicit gold mining and were sentenced to two years with an option of $2,000 fine each.

The case files of five more Chinese were said to be under review.

The Tonkolili operation was led by the Youth Affairs minister, Mr Mohamed Orman Bangura. The minister, who was on a tour of mining communities, bumped into the suspects in the middle of a bush with “huge excavators and machines”.

Sexual slavery

Further search by police uncovered about 15 camps in the area, where some of the suspect Chinese were said to have been found in possession of weapons and military tents, among other equipment.

The accused, who were also mining gold, were being investigated for employing under-age children. They also face charges of sexual slavery.

Pictures and video footages in circulation on social media show some of the men mining under tunnels.

The incident has provoked anger among a section of the population, directed at the former regime for providing the environment for Chinese exploitation.

The National Mineral Agency (NMA), in statement, said the operation was part of its strategy to increase government revenue and to ensure that Sierra Leoneans got maximum benefits from the mineral wealth.

It warned individuals and companies with valid licences to operate strictly within the law.

Currency earner

Artisanal miners were also warned not to use heavy machinery, or to go beneath a depth of 10 metres.

The mining sector was hitherto Sierra Leone's major foreign currency earner, providing between 20 and 25 per cent of its GDP.

But prior to the March General Election, which brought President Julius Maada Bio to power, the sector suffered a major downturn, with many of the major mining companies folding up.

A fall in price of minerals on the international market, corruption and mismanagement have all been cited as the causes of the woes in the Sierra Leonean mining sector.

Only three companies currently operate in the country. They are the Israeli-owned diamond miner Koidu Holdings, also known as OCTEA; the Australian-owned iron ore miner Sierra Rutile, and the Netherlands based company Vimetco, producer of Aluminium.

Officials blame the connivance of local authorities and incompetence of local monitors for the proliferation of illegal mining, which they say was costing the government further loses.

Generate revenue

Yet Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) were under pressure to generate revenue to fund President Bio’s ambitious development plan.

Finance minister Jacob Jusu Saffa was quoted last week saying that one of the reasons the economy was struggling, amidst high inflation, was the closure of the major mines.

The ministry of Mines added that operating illegally meant that government was being robbed of revenue.

“Illegal mining operations create serious environmental problems and deprive Government of much needed revenue,” the NMA statement, signed by its Director of Community Affairs and Communication Ibrahim Satti Kamara, said.

It added: “This operation does not affect individuals and companies with valid mining licences, and they are encouraged to go about their normal business according to the law.”

Foreign currency

The Mines ministry said it had revoked 30 licences, which have not been operated to pave the way for new investors.

Mines minister Morie Manyeh said many of the revoked licences belonged to people who used them to lure investors, hence their inability to honour tax obligations.

“We want to ensure that anyone who has a mining licence now deserves it and has the capacity to fully operate so that government will be able to generate revenue which will boost our foreign currency earning,” he said.

The government was also unhappy that it owned no shares in any of the major mining companies and relied only on its 3 per cent royalty and exportation rights.

The Mines ministry said plans were underway to review investment laws.

The review would also empower artisanal miners, as a way of preventing smuggling.