Gold Mines in Hajjah: Open Graves Swallowing the Souls of the Innocent

In the rugged highlands of Hajjah governorate in northwestern Yemen, dozens of young men embark daily on a death-defying adventure in traditional gold mines. They dream of a handful of the precious metal to lift them from a life of misery, but at any moment, these mines can turn into open graves, swallowing their dreams and their lives.

 

In a scene that embodies this bitter reality, six people were killed on Monday when a primitive gold mine collapsed in Jabal al-Manjam, in the village of Bani Raiban, Kushar district, Hajjah governorate. The pit they dug became a mass grave, revealing the grim face of unregulated gold mining in these forgotten mountains.

 

Hajjah Governorate Police stated in an official announcement that the collapsed mine was operated haphazardly. The collapse led to the deaths of Mohammed Ali Hussein Raiban, Farouq Raji Saleh Raiban, Mohammed Hadi Sarhan Raiban, Ahmed Ali Hussein Raiban, Nasrallah Yahya Saleh Raiban, and Ramzi Ali Saleh Raiban. Ali Saifan Mujammal Raiban was critically injured.

 

The police confirmed that the victims had been detained days earlier for illegal excavation and were released after signing a written pledge not to repeat the offense. However, according to the statement, they secretly returned to work.

 

The Earth Split Open and Swallowed Them

 

"It was as if the earth split open and swallowed them," says Ahmed Raiban, an eyewitness and local resident, speaking to Al-Mawqea Post. "We heard the sound of digging in the morning, and suddenly we heard a loud collapse. We rushed to the site, but the dust was thick, and the screams were muffled. It took several hours to retrieve the bodies of the victims."

 

He adds with sorrow, "This is not the first incident, and it won't be the last unless this recklessness is stopped immediately. People here live on hope, thinking they will find gold and bid farewell to poverty, but they end up under the dirt."

 

Great Dangers

 

Primitive gold prospecting in Hajjah involves significant risks, including collapses, high mortality rates, environmental pollution, and health damage to workers due to the use of mercury in refining the yellow metal.

 

Since the outbreak of the war and the deterioration of economic conditions in Yemen, dozens of unemployed young men have flocked to traditional mining areas in the Kushar and Aflah al-Sham districts. Armed with simple tools—shovels, pickaxes, and hoes—they hope to obtain a few grams of gold.

 

"We go out every morning not knowing if we will return," says Hassan Ali, a man in his mid-twenties working in an unregulated gold mine in Aflah al-Sham district. "How many friends have we buried here? These pits swallow us like graves."

 

Speaking to Al-Mawqea Post, Hassan adds, "We work for hours inside narrow, unventilated pits without any safety equipment. Every time we go down into the hole, we say we might not come back, but we have no choice. Poverty is harsher than fear."

 

Suleiman, another worker in traditional mining in the neighboring Kushar district, said, "The danger is not limited to collapses. We face scorpion stings and snakes, and we travel in isolated areas where no one can reach us if something bad happens."

 

Deadly Toxins

 

The danger doesn't stop at rockfalls. Chemicals used in gold extraction, such as mercury, are used without regulation and can seep into groundwater, destroying the environment and leaving fatal health effects on humans.

 

According to the World Health Organization, exposure to mercury poses a threat to the nervous, digestive, and immune systems and can, in some cases, lead to death.

 

A local activist, who declined to be named for security reasons, says, "People here work in dangerous conditions. They inhale toxic dust and handle deadly chemicals like mercury without sufficient awareness. Children play near the mining sites, and women fetch water from contaminated wells."

 

He adds to Al-Mawqea Post, "The entire area has become polluted. The taste of the well water has changed, and people complain of skin and respiratory diseases. Mercury is sold in grocery stores in plain sight and is used randomly while the state remains silent."

 

Activists have called on official authorities in Hajjah to impose strict controls on mining activities, provide safety and rescue equipment, and offer economic alternatives for those searching for gold.

 

Gold Fever

 

The districts of Kushar and Aflah al-Sham in Hajjah are witnessing a wide proliferation of unregulated gold mines, dug by residents themselves without licenses. They use simple, primitive tools with no safety equipment or technical supervision.

 

The number of active illegal sites in these two districts is estimated in the dozens. Most are discovered through traditional means, after which locals flock to them, repeating a dangerous pattern of "gold fever" that spreads in the absence of the state and the prevalence of poverty and unemployment.

 

Workers in the artisanal mining sector in Hajjah rely on old hand tools amidst a lack of awareness and widespread ignorance among the majority of laborers, who have abandoned their agricultural lands to chase the lure of the precious metal.

 

A Wasted Fortune

 

The Aflah al-Sham district in Hajjah is home to Yemen's largest gold mine, the "Al-Hariga" mine, which was established by the Canadian company Cantex in 1996 after it discovered over 96 million grams of gold.

 

The Al-Hariga mountain in Aflah al-Sham, where the largest gold mine is located, is part of a mountain range that extends to the neighboring Kushar district, whose mountains also contain large quantities of gold and other precious metals.

 

The Geological Survey and Mineral Resources Board estimates the gold reserves in the Al-Hariga mine at 30 million tons, with a content ranging from 1 to 1.65 grams of gold per ton of gold-bearing rock.

 

Despite the economic importance of this mine, it has not been exploited by the state or licensed companies. This has opened the door for locals to attempt to exploit it using primitive methods, which later led to the expansion of unregulated mining to include large areas like Kushar, Al-Abyssa, and other neighboring rural areas.

 

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