Egypt has accelerated its efforts to prevent the illegal excavation of gold in the Eastern Desert, trying to convince local tribes to work under state supervision while excavating, state newspaper Al-Ahram reported Sunday.
Petroleum Minister Osama Kamal assigned Shalateen Company for Mineral Wealth to set mechanisms for issuing licenses and required maps to legalize the activities of people searching for gold in areas in southern Egypt.
The Eastern Desert lies east of the Nile, reaching the Red Sea, and covers an area of about 220,000 square kilometers. It's home to about 300,000, with most people living along the Red Sea coast, and contains petroleum and gold.
The minister called on the adminstration of the company, which was established in November, to hire citizens in southern Egypt to improve conditions for residents there, especially in the Halayeb and Shalateen areas.
During a meeting Friday between the minister, heads of the Ababda and Bashareya tribes, Red Sea Governor Mohamed Kamel and presidential adviser Ahmed Suleiman, Kamal highlighted the importance of developing and growing mineral wealth, such as gold, and improving the economy. He also said he would hold a series of meetings with tribe members in the Eastern Desert to resolve problems that prevent them from excavating mineral wealth under state supervision.
He said he would hold another meeting next week to agree on mechanisms that the company will set.
Kamal said he assigned officials in charge of the Mineral Wealth Authority to hold another meeting this week with tribesmen of Wadi al-Alaqy in Aswan to discuss proposed mechanisms.
Meanwhile, the Red Sea governor said tribesmen expressed appreciation toward the government and ministry efforts to legalize their situations and enhance their conditions.
Tribesmen also added that random operations that search for gold are blamed on the former regime, which they said didn’t pay attention to developing those areas, in addition to the recession of regional trade between Egypt and Sudan.
