Rwanda National Police

At least 200 kilograms of cassiterite and 20 kilograms of Mangano minerals were seized from three illegal dealers in Nyagatare and Rubavu districts on Saturday.

In Nyagatare, bags of cassiterite minerals were recovered in the house of one Gerald Sindikubwabo located in Gishara Village, Kagitumba Cell in Matimba Sector. Sindikubwabo is still at large.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Hamdun Twizeyimana, Police spokesperson of Eastern region, said that local residents were prompted to call the Police after they saw Sindikubwabo unloading sacks of minerals into his house.

“On Saturday at about 10pm, residents of Gishara called the Police after they saw Sindikubwabo unloading minerals from a motorcycle into his house. When Police reached at his house, he had already escaped but officers managed to recover the minerals, which he had just smuggled from Uganda through porous border in Nyagatare,” CIP Twizeyimana said.

“He had been previously implicated in smuggling and other illegal mineral businesses, and would distribute them to other illegal dealers at night,” he added.
 
Meanwhile, two other mineral smugglers were intercepted at the border with DRC in Rubavu District with 20kgs of Mangano calcite.

The precious stones had been concealed in their luggage, and were recovered by the Police at the border as they searched their bags.

Article 3 of the ministerial regulations on fighting smuggling in mineral trading, forbids “importation of minerals into Rwanda without proper documents indicating their origin and the weight at origin, given by the right authorities.”

These minerals have to be with required trade documents, and to be certified and tagged by competent authorities.

Equally, article 4 provides that transportation of minerals outside mining licensed areas—concessions and permits perimeters—is only allowed, when the consignment shows the source mine, its value and when it has the right tag.

Article 54 of the law on mining and quarry operations, states that; “any person, who undertakes mineral or quarry exploration, exploitation, processing or trading without a licence commits an offence.”
 
Upon conviction, the offender is liable to imprisonment for a term of between two and six months and a fine of not less than Rwf1 million and not more than Rwf5 million or only one of these penalties.   

The court also orders confiscation of any seized minerals or quarry in storage, trading or processing without a licence.