Military Triggers Illegal Gold Miners Exodus From KINKONGE

🇿🇲  BRIEFING | Military Triggers Illegal Gold Miners Exodus From KINKONGE

Illegal gold miners in Mufumbwe District of North-Western Province have begun vacating the Kinkonge gold site following a stern warning issued by Zambia Army Commander Geoffrey Choongo Zyeele, triggering a rushed exodus across what security officials describe as a growing illegal mining axis.

Footage shared by Prime TV Zambia shows groups of miners, including women and youths, boarding trucks and buses as they leave the mineral zone, signalling a sudden retreat from one of the region’s most active gold rush sites.

The development comes as the Zambia Army intensifies operations in North-Western Province, with parallel security movements reported on the Copperbelt.

Youths interviewed on the ground told Prime TV that the military had not used force but advised them to vacate the area, an approach they described as firm but non-violent. The advisory appears to have been enough to unsettle illegal mining networks that have thrived in the area for months.

Despite complying, some of the miners expressed anxiety over their livelihoods. They cited limited employment opportunities in their home districts and said informal mining had become their only means of survival.

Wilard Mambwe, one of the affected youths, lamented the closure of Senseli and other small-scale mining sites, saying many young people were now stranded without alternatives.

The exodus follows blunt remarks by Lt Gen Zyeele, who warned that illegal mining in Mufumbwe had evolved into a national security threat. He said intelligence reports point to the involvement of foreign nationals, some with military backgrounds, allegedly coordinating illegal gold extraction and smuggling operations.

Commander Zyeele warned that such actors would be flushed out, stressing that lawlessness in mineral-rich zones would no longer be tolerated.

Security sources say the unfolding events reflect a broader military push to dismantle illegal mining gangs operating across North-Western Province and the Copperbelt, areas increasingly linked by smuggling routes and organised networks.

The sudden withdrawal from Kinkonge suggests that the warning has sent shockwaves through the gold rush economy, with illegal miners opting to leave before the Army fully closes in.

As the military maintains pressure, authorities say operations will continue until order is restored, licensed mining protected, and the illegal mining axis broken.

More details coming.

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