Analysis of the Facts, Difficult Questions for Establishing the Truth, and Recommendations by Dr. David Makongo
On Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at around 3:00 p.m., an artisanal gold mining site collapsed in Zamboï — also spelled Zamboye — near the border between Cameroon and the Central African Republic. According to initial reports, dozens of miners were reportedly buried.
Rescue operations began under extremely difficult conditions, with local residents and rescuers attempting to recover victims from the rubble.
From the evening of the tragedy, conflicting casualty figures began circulating. Local Central African authorities announced that at least 30 bodies had been recovered. Some Cameroonian media outlets later reported 107 deaths, citing the mayor of Garoua-Boulaï. Other international media reported that dozens of people had died, that several others remained trapped, and that no consolidated official death toll had yet been released.
One fact must therefore be clearly established: the final number of victims has not yet been verified. This tragedy must not become a battleground fueled by rumors, exaggerated figures, or administrative denials. Every victim has a name, a family, and the right to be officially identified.
FIRST QUESTION: IN WHICH COUNTRY DID THE DISASTER OCCUR?
Even the exact jurisdiction of the mining site remains disputed.
Some reports place the site near Garoua-Boulaï, in Cameroon’s East Region. Others locate it in the Abba area, within the Nana-Mambéré prefecture of the Central African Republic. Still others simply describe Zamboï as a border locality between the two countries.
This confusion is not merely a geographical detail. Determining the jurisdiction is essential to establishing:
- Which country authorized or tolerated the mining operation;
- Which ministry was responsible for inspecting the site;
- Which laws governed the mining operation;
- Who was responsible for worker safety;
- Who must investigate potential violations and initiate the necessary legal proceedings; and
- Who must compensate the victims.
We therefore call on the governments of Cameroon and the Central African Republic to establish and publish, without delay, the exact geographical coordinates of the site, as well as the administrative jurisdiction to which it belongs.
SECOND QUESTION: WHO CONTROLLED THE SITE?
The public must know who operated, financed, authorized, or supervised this mine.
The authorities should make the following information public:
- Was the mining operation authorized or illegal?
- What were the name and nationality of the holder of the mining license or authorization?
- Who were the shareholders and beneficial owners of the company?
- Which financiers, subcontractors, and gold buyers were connected to the site?
- Which public agency was responsible for inspecting the operation?
- When was the last safety and environmental inspection conducted?
- Was there an approved mining, safety, and environmental management plan?
- Were children, undocumented migrants, or undeclared workers present at the site?
- Who is legally responsible for compensating the victims and rehabilitating the site?
A mining disaster cannot be seriously investigated as long as the identity of the operator remains concealed.
THIRD QUESTION: WAS THIS DISASTER PREVENTABLE?
The immediate event was the collapse of a gold-mining excavation or tunnel. However, no technical investigation has yet established the precise cause of the disaster.
The public should therefore avoid presenting assumptions as facts. Nevertheless, investigators must determine whether the disaster was linked to one or more of the following factors:
- Excavations that were inadequately supported or reinforced;
- Unstable or water-saturated ground;
- Dangerous excavation methods;
- An excessive number of people in the mining area;
- Insufficient technical supervision;
- Lack of protective equipment;
- Lack of access control at the site; or
- The absence of an emergency response plan.
The investigation must also determine whether certain officials or individuals were aware of the dangers present at the site but refused or failed to order its closure.
If the mine was illegal, an important question arises: How could an operation employing so many people continue operating without being detected?
If it was authorized, the question becomes even more serious: Who inspected it, certified it, and allowed people to work there under conditions that ultimately resulted in so many deaths?
WHAT MUST BE DONE NOW?
The immediate priorities should be:
- Rescue anyone who may still be alive;
- Recover and identify every victim;
- Provide urgent medical care to survivors;
- Support and inform affected families;
- Publish a verified list of the dead, injured, and missing;
- Secure the site and preserve all evidence; and
- Prevent any unauthorized reopening of the site or interference with the investigation.
Cameroon and the Central African Republic should establish a joint, independent, and transparent investigative commission, composed of mining engineers, geologists, safety specialists, judicial officials, and representatives of the victims’ families.
The investigation must determine whether illegal mining, regulatory failures, corruption, criminal negligence, or cross-border administrative confusion contributed to the disaster.
Its findings must be made public, and those responsible — whether private operators or public officials — must be held accountable for their actions.
ZAMBOÏ MUST NOT BECOME ANOTHER FORGOTTEN GRAVE
This tragedy must not be portrayed as an unavoidable natural accident. Neither poverty nor the pursuit of gold should condemn workers to descend into dangerous excavations from which they may never return.
The people of Cameroon and the Central African Republic have the right to know:
Where exactly did this disaster occur?
Who owned the mine?
Who authorized it?
Who inspected it?
Who profited from its gold?
Who ignored the danger?
And who will be held accountable for the deaths of these victims?
Condolences are necessary, but they are not enough.
The victims of Zamboï are entitled to truth, identification, justice, compensation, and lasting reforms in mining safety. Their families must not be abandoned with unanswered questions while those who profited from the mine disappear into silence.
Gold must never be worth more than human life. Zamboï must become the turning point that prevents another mining site from becoming a mass grave.
Dr. David Makongo