EU Urges Govt to Take Immediate Action to Stop Illegal Mining

The European Union (EU) Delegation in Afghanistan urges the Government to “take immediate action to stop illegal mining” in Afghanistan.

Last week the EU launched its 2017 Anti-Corruption campaign with a focus on the following four themes: the threat of illegal mining, corruption in the judicial sector, prevention of corruption and corruption in the security sector.

According to a statement released by the EU Office on Sunday, during the last seven days the campaign focused on illegal mining in Afghanistan.

The EU has recommended the National Unity Government (NUG) to appoint a capable and trusted Minister of Mines and Petroleum, make sure that the money from existing mining licenses is paid into a single and transparent government account, re-examine all mining licenses and ensure control over the largest and most active mining operations, where illegal mining is taking place.

The request for the actions come as the Minister of Mines and Petroleum officially submitted his resignation to President Ashraf Ghani a year ago reportedly due to curbs on his authority and mining contracts, but the NUG leaders have failed to introduce a new minister or prevent illegal mining in the country yet.

The anti-corruption campaign will run for seven weeks and will be ended with a high-level anti-corruption conference in May.

By: Hesamuddin Hesam