Cameroon freezes mining permits, halting formal gold and diamond trade

The state-owned Société nationale des mines (SONAMINES) has suspended the issuance and renewal of mining permits for gold and diamond purchase offices, leaving roughly 200 dealers unable to operate legally. The move has sparked a dispute with the Syndicat national des promoteurs des bureaux d’achats des diamants, de l’or et des orpailleurs du Cameroun (SYNAPROBADIOCAM), whose president Ousmanou Aladji Hamadou says the freeze "blocks the formalisation of 200 purchase offices and fuels illicit trade".

The union argues that the suspension pushes gold and diamonds into informal channels, reducing state revenue, weakening traceability, and encouraging smuggling across the region. The dispute highlights broader challenges in formalising artisanal mining in Central Africa, where many countries struggle to channel mineral production into regulated markets.