Over 500 villagers near African Barrick’s North Mara Gold Mine forced their way into the facility early this week in what the police have described as “an attempt to steal gold nuggets from a crusher used to process gold ore”.
Four people were seriously injured when police and North Mara gold mine security guards were forced to engage the rampaging villagers in an attempt to restore order.
Speaking to journalists in his office yesterday, the Commander for Tarime/Rorya Special Police Zone, Constantine Massawe revealed that the incident took place on Monday afternoon when local citizens reportedly heard rumours that a large gold deposit had been unearthed.
“Over 500 people from neighbouring villages of Nyakunguru, Nyangoto, Matongo, Kerende, Genkuru and Nyamwaga descended on (the mine) between 11am and 2pm…on Monday May 9,” said Massawe, adding that it took his officers over three hours to restore order.
He said the raiders were armed with an assortment of traditional weapons including machetes, clubs, metal rods, stones and arrows.
“We got news of the mine invasion and sent our officers to reign in the marauding villagers,” Massawe said, adding that they used teargas, rubber bullets and live rounds.
“In the pandemonium, a police officer identified only as PC Clement was injured by a flying stone that landed on his back,” disclosed the commander.
The Tarime/Rorya Police Commander said further that one of North Mara’s security guard, Saimon Shayo, was also badly injured when the villagers slashed his shoulder and back with a machete.
He identified the other two wounded as 15-year old Sylvester Laurent and Nyantinyi Biraro (25), both residents of Nyangoto Nyamongo village in the area around the North Mara gold pits.
They suffered facial injuries and have been admitted at Nyamongo hospital for treatment. The two will be kept for further questioning on the incident, according to Massawe.
Police are holding three additional suspects in relation to the incident, although Commander Massawe was unwilling to release their identities for fear of jeopardising investigations into the incident.
The Police Chief called on residents of the villages surrounding North Mara Gold Mine to refrain from taking the law in their own hands.
Massawe said that North Mara owners, African Barrick Gold were a legitimate business concern that needed to be respected, adding that breaking into their property with the intention of stealing gold was a criminal offense in much the same way as breaking into a local merchant’s shop.
He said police would not hesitate to conduct massive manhunts for individuals involved in this latest raid on North Mara pits.
In January 2009 Barrick Gold, the world’s largest pure gold mining company, suffered USD 15 million in damages after about 200 people invaded its North Mara mine and clashed with security personnel.
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