Police in Karongi District has arrested six people in connection with conducting illegal mining activities as stipulated in article 438 of the Rwanda panel code.
Police identified the suspects as Claude Habukwiha, Celestin Gahigiro, Emmanuel Niyigena, Patrice Uzabumwana, Frodouard Gashirabake and Emmanuel Nzanzubuhoro, they were found extracting minerals in Musogoro River found in Rubengera sector.
The Western Region Police Spokesperson Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Theobald Kanamugire confirmed the developments and warned that the crackdown will continue if offenders don’t desist from such illegal activities.
“We shall not relent in carrying out operations day and night to enforce the law” he warned, adding that, illegal miners pose a lot of risks to themselves, the environment and loss to the national economy since whatever they do is contrary to state laws that govern the mining sector.
He noted that illegal mining is not only a criminal act but leads to loss of lives, which he said RNP cannot afford to keep looking on while lives are being lost and cited safety precautions that govern mining procedures.
Illegal mining is punishable under article 438 of the penal code, which attracts a jail term of one year in prison and a fine of Rwf10 million if convicted.
The Express News
