Nyala, August 11 (Darfur24)
The Kadneir artisanal gold mine in East Jebel Marra locality, South Darfur State, has resumed operations after more than three years of closure due to the war and internal conflict in the mining area, according to three local sources.
Kadneir is considered one of South Darfur’s largest gold mines and one of the four major mines in the Jebel Marra region, alongside Jaldou, Vienna, and Liba, according to local sources.
A Jebel Marra local administration leader, speaking anonymously, told Darfur24 that the mine had been closed by the authorities of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW), led by Abdul Wahid Mohamed Nour, because of internal conflict in the area.
The source said the mine was previously managed by the central government, which collected its revenues, but is now under the SLM-AW’s security and administrative oversight.
Abubakr Abdullah, a resident of the area, said SLM-AW Chief of Staff Yusuf Karjakula had ordered military reinforcements to secure the mine and facilitate the resumption of mining activities.
He said traditional miners had begun returning to the mine under administrative procedures overseen by the civilian authority.
Abdel Moneim Ali Yaqoub, a former Kadneir miner, said the mine previously employed more than 7,000 miners and supported hundreds of shops and service businesses.
He said plans to establish a new market southwest of the mine had also been approved before the war halted operations, forcing miners to leave, and led to the mine’s closure.
Yaqoub said the reopening could revive local trade and create employment opportunities, provided adequate security measures are introduced to protect miners, businesses, and mining facilities.
The reopening comes as the SLM-AW continues to control parts of Jebel Marra, where artisanal mining remains an important source of economic activity and income.