Four Sudanese nationals have been arrested in Busia district in a crackdown on illegal mining, Ugandan energy officials said Wednesday.
The suspects, Abdel Gadir Mohamed, Abdallah Bashir, Mubarak Muhmad and Ashraf Muhmad, were detained Tuesday evening in Mawero, Buteba Sub-county, after they were found operating unlicensed gold mines and a processing plant.
Agnes Alaba, the commissioner for mines in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, who led the operation, confirmed the arrests.
‘They are here illegally doing work which is supposed to be done by Ugandans,’ Alaba said, noting the group had no valid visas or work permits.
The men are employees of Alsakhoor Trading and Services Limited, a Sudanese-owned company accused of carrying out gold mining and processing in Tiira Town Council and Mawero without approval.
Documents seen by Monitor show the company is licensed only as a mineral dealer. Its license, issued by the ministry on July 30, 2025 under number MDL 20250578, expires on December 31.
The permit allows trading in gold and other minerals but does not cover mining or processing.
Alaba said the arrests form part of a wider nationwide operation to enforce compliance in the mining sector.
‘We have been to Tiira gold mining area and established serious concerns where some miners are operating without licenses, encroaching on gazetted wetlands and leaving abandoned pits,’ she said.
The four suspects were handed to Busia police station as investigations continue. They face multiple charges under Uganda’s mining laws.
During the same operation, ministry officials visited Tiira mining sites where they found extensive environmental degradation. Local miners acknowledged the challenges.
Stephen Engido, a miner, told NTVUganda that they were ‘aware of the degradation of the environment’ but insisted they were putting in place mitigation measures.
‘We are required to undertake all this mitigation in order to be given the environment impact assessment report from NEMA,’ Engido said.
Another artisanal miner, Paul Angesu, chairperson of the Tiira Landlords Mining Association, admitted mining was impossible without some damage but said backfilling had begun.
‘We have embarked on backfilling some of these pits because it is one of the requirements by the Ministry of Energy and NEMA,’ Angesu said.
Alaba warned that miners have three months to comply with environmental standards, acquire valid documents, and regularize their activities, or face closure.