Addis Ababa – Work at Ethiopia’s largest gold mine must be suspended to protect nearby children from the toxic chemicals it has released into the soil, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday.
The government promised to reopen the mine only after environmental concerns had been addressed, but did so in 2021 “without public announcement” and “quashed publication of a government health study”, said HRW in a statement.
The rights group said several studies had revealed high concentrations of toxic chemicals including cadmium, mercury, lead and arsenic.
Residents had “for years complained about serious health impacts, including children born with long-term health conditions, miscarriages, and stillbirths”.
The campaign group urged the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, due to meet soon, to press Ethiopia to suspend mining operations and “ensure victims of abuse are provided effective remedy, including compensation, medical care, and access to justice”.
The Ethiopian government did not respond to a request for comment from AFP.
Ethiopia, the continent’s second most populous country with some 130 million inhabitants, is regularly criticised by NGOs for human rights abuses.
But mining is crucial to a country in which more than 40 percent live below the poverty line, with gold exports generating $2.1 billion in the first nine months of 2024, according to the latest figures from the mining ministry.
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Source: AFP
