Despite an official order from the Tigray Interim Administration (TIA) to halt all mining activities, illicit mining in the Tigray Regional State continues to escalate. Reports highlight the severe environmental consequences of illegal mining, including the widespread use of hazardous chemicals.
The Tigray Interim Administration’s cabinet recently enacted a decision to freeze all mining operations in the region, a directive that was reinforced by officials at the Tigray Mining Bureau. A notice issued by the Bureau reiterated the prohibition, ordering all mining activities to cease, including the extraction of gold, copper, tungsten, and other valuable metals.
The notice specified that all licenses for exploration and extraction, regardless of scale—whether artisanal, small-scale, special small-scale, or large-scale—must be suspended. The only exception to this is miners extracting materials for construction. Additionally, the cabinet announced a suspension on new mining license applications.
A task force, established by the TIA, has been tasked with auditing the Mining Bureau and reviewing all active mining licenses in the region. However, despite these efforts, sources indicate that the freeze order has largely failed to be enforced. Mining in Tigray continues to thrive, particularly in areas where operations have not been properly licensed. This surge in illicit mining comes amid escalating political and security tensions between the TIA and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
The effectiveness of the task force has been questioned by several sources. One anonymous source spoke to The Reporter, saying, “The task force’s integrity is in doubt, so it cannot properly enforce the order. Tigray’s security officers are involved in the mining. How can a task force led by security officials stop the mining when they themselves are part of it?” They also criticised the audit of the Mining Bureau, arguing that it should be conducted by an independent and impartial institution, not by those with ties to the issues at hand.
