Rwanda’s effort to leverage aerial surveillance through the use of drones to tackle illegal mining, especially in hard-to-reach areas, has started yielding results, The New Times understands.

This tech-based strategy is helping to expose and shut down illegal mining operations, protect the environment, and level the playing field for legitimate businesses, according to concerned public entities.

ALSO READ: Eight held over illegal mining, violence

The Rwanda National Police (RNP) in collaboration with Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board Rwanda Mining Board (RMB), and local government in particular conducted operations to detect and deter illegal mining and environmental destruction, according to Police Spokesperson ACP Boniface Rutikanga.

The joint operations, he said, started in June 2024.

He told The New Times that the use of drones has contributed to the detection and arrest of perpetrators of illegal mining in Rulindo, Musanze, Kamonyi, and Rwamagana districts, particularly in areas known for hosting "precious minerals”, he indicated.

Most of the areas in question are not easily accessible and are far from the regular patrol reach, he indicated.

"In most cases, illegal miners would turn violent in case they were stopped by local leaders. Illegal mining was also undermining operations of the legitimate mining companies,” he said.

By the last quarter – the period between September and December – of 2024, RNP arrested more than 20 ring leaders and subjected them to a prosecution process, Rutikanga said.

The spokesperson highlighted that hundreds of causal workers in illegal mining were informed of the risks involved and were advised by local government to create a cooperative that would be facilitated to work in the mining sector legally to promote order in the mining sector, putting safety and security first, and protecting the environment.

"Illegal mining sites were closed, and others were put under regular guard pending further approvals. Legitimate mining companies were relieved of the fraud and are enjoying fair business competition,” he said.

ALSO READ: Southern Province officials want illegal mining sites put to good use

Aerial policing gives a larger view of what is happening in the large space on the ground in the span of a short time, Rutikanga observed.

However, he said that the use of aerial policing still requires ground presence to make the intended impact, pointing out that "the deployment of drones is not an end in itself.”

According to RMB, the use drones to inspect mining sites especially those in sloppy and hilly places that are hard to reach due to the geographical features of the country, has proven to be impactful.

Speaking to The New Times, Francis Kamanzi, CEO of RMB, said "we have a police team that comes to help us,” he said, adding, "whenever we want to do the inspection, that is when we reach out to them.”

ALSO READ: Seven mining companies lose concessions over ‘serious’ failures

Addressing members of parliament during a committee hearing on issues in the mining sector, on January 15, Kamanzi said that RMB conducted a nationwide inspection from August to late September 2024, in partnership with RNP where the latter deployed police team equipped with drones to support the conduct of the exercise.

The inspections uncovered multiple cases of non-compliance, he said, leading RMB to revoke 55 mining licenses from operators found to be engaging in non-compliant mining practices, including excavating minerals near rivers, and washing them in such natural water bodies, which is at the expense of environment. He pointed out that the decision, he said, is in line with RMB’s commitment to ensuring responsible mining.

ALSO READ: Mining firms risk losing licences over polluting rivers

As illegal mining operations are carried out furtively by people who attempt to avoid being caught, often during the night, the use of technology means such as drones is the way to go in detecting such prohibited acts, through remote monitoring.

"If you are in Kigali and you can monitor and know that there is an illegal [mining activity] in a given area in Muhanga [district in Southern Province], you can call the [responsible] authority to immediately intervene,” he said.

He observed that working with the police is necessary for security reasons, but RMB – as an institution mandated with mining sector regulation – eyes to acquire its drones in the future for their greater use, instead of always having to rely on RNP for drone deployment in mining operations surveillance, yet the latter has other responsibilities to fulfil.

Meanwhile, Rwanda tightened penalties against illegal mining under the law of 2024 on mining and quarry operations, to contribute to the deterrence of such illicit act.

It provides that a person who undertakes mineral operations without a license, commits an offence. Upon conviction, he or she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years but not more than five years and a fine of not less than Rwf25 million but not more than Rwf50 million or one of these penalties.

When the offence is committed by a company, a cooperative, a subsidiary, a partnership, or any other legal person, upon conviction, they are liable to a fine of not less than Rwf60 million but not more than Rwf80 million.

These penalties are tougher than an imprisonment for a term of not less than two months and not more than six months.

Imprisonment only applies to an individual, not a legal entity such as a company or a cooperative.

Penalties also include a fine of not less than Rwf1 million and not more than Rwf5 million, or only one of these penalties, which were provided for by the law of 2018.

Rwanda targets to almost double its annual mineral export revenues from $1.1 billion in 2023 to $2.17 billion by 2029 under the country's National Strategy for Transformation (NST2).