The Eastern Equatoria State Governor was responding to a question about how the state shares the income generated from the gold among its counties.

By Opio Jackson

Eastern Equatoria State Governor, Louis Lobong Lojore has dismissed the claims on the gold mining in greater Kapoeta and Budi Counties.

Lobong said as a government they don’t have any control over gold in Eastern Equatoria State.

The issue arose during the fiscal devolution and revenue management forum in Juba on Wednesday where experts are drafting recommendations to be included in the constitution-making process to suit the aspired federalism.   

Lobong was asked about how the state shares the income generated from the gold among its counties.

In response, Lobong denied any income generation, arguing that no company has ever been given a license to mine gold neither by the national government nor the state.

“It is, therefore clear, there is no mining in Eastern Equatoria State by the companies. What is taking place is called artisanal mining,” he said.

“This means the people are mining locally and it is being done before even I was born,” Governor Lobong told the experts and lawmakers.

In a show of frustration in dealing with a similar question, Lobong said he has been confronted with the same question in several forums about gold money and yet there is no mining activity taking place in Eastern Equatoria State.

He reiterated that what is taking place is artisanal mining which he believes is a practice going on in the whole country and Kapoeta is not an exceptional case.

 “I believe the practice is here in Central Equatoria State, you can find it in Boma, Wau, and many other areas. It is local mining and we don’t have control over it,” he said.

While acknowledging the local mining in greater Kapoeta and Budi counties, Lobong said the State government does not have control over the illegal miners.

He further said that they are not even generating any income from artisanal mining due to a lack of modality to tax them.

“These miners, they take their gold to the black market just like the dollar black market operating here. How do you tax them?”

“If you ask, how you tax the dollar black market, I believe nobody can tell you if they are being taxed,” Lobong reiterated.

“It is, therefore clear, there is no mining in Eastern Equatoria State by the companies. What is taking place is called artisanal mining,” said Easetren Equatoria State Governor, Louis Lobong.