The directive issued on Monday this week follows a surge in unregulated small-scale mining in the Jebel Iraq–Kulipapa corridor in Juba County, located approximately 30–45 miles northeast of the capital, Juba.
Sources familiar with the skirmishes say the clash erupted after SSPDF soldiers allegedly attempted to forcefully evict artisanal miners and local residents from gold-rich sites, reportedly to pave the way for foreign miners to take over operations. The incident marks the second confrontation between soldiers and small-scale miners in less than two months.
In a detailed statement obtained by Sudans Post, the Ministry of Mining confirmed receiving preliminary findings about the fatal incident and announced that a full investigation is underway.
The Ministry’s inspection team, led by Matiok Santino Akuei, the Undersecretary at the Ministry of Mining, had earlier visited the area in September, where they documented extensive illicit mining operations and rising tensions between miners and security forces.
The Ministry’s directive—calling for stronger, unified enforcement by NSS, Mining Police, and SSPDF—has sparked concerns among local mining communities, many of whom view security deployments as part of the problem rather than the solution. Artisanal miners accuse some soldiers of deep involvement in illegal gold operations and claim that military presence has escalated rather than curbed violence.
The Ministry also moved to address circulating allegations linking Senior Presidential Envoy on Special Programs, Adut Kiir Mayardit, to mining interests in the area.
Adut was first named in The Sentry report, “Kiirdom: The Sprawling Corporate Kingdom of South Sudan’s First Family,” which linked the Senior Presidential Envoy and daughter of President Salva Kiir to the ownership of Rocky Mining Industries.
However, the Ministry clarified that Adut neither holds nor has applied for any mining license in Jebel Iraq or anywhere in South Sudan. A verification by Sudans Post reveals that Rocky Mining Industries does not appear on the South Sudan Mining Cadastre Portal. The Ministry stated it has “no records indicating her involvement or ownership of any mining operations.”
Authorities say the responsibility for licensing artisanal mining lies with state governments, while the national Ministry oversees exploration and large-scale operations. They urged state leaders to resolve disputes among small-scale miners promptly to prevent further violence.
