Foreign Media: Women in Guinea-Bissau Set Fire to Chinese Mining Facilities, Government Responds: They Must Pay for Their Actions
In the West African country of Guinea-Bissau, a group of women, dissatisfied with zircon mining, set fire to a mining facility operated by Chinese people in the northwest region on Sunday, April 20. According to the Minister of Interior and eyewitnesses speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the incident occurred in the Nhiquin area near Valera, a coastal town close to the border with Senegal.
AFP cited multiple eyewitnesses as saying that hundreds of protesters participated in the action on Sunday. Their target was a zircon mining center developed by a Chinese private enterprise since 2022. Following the incident, several women and a village chief were arrested by authorities.
Minister of Interior Bocé Candé, who visited the scene, told the media, "All facilities were burned down."
Minister Candé angrily stated, "No one has the right to destroy the property of partners when the nation is trying to find them."
He further emphasized, "The women responsible for the destruction have all fled into the forest. They must be tracked down and arrested. People cannot act recklessly and then return to their normal lives as if nothing happened. This is unacceptable."
Vice Administrative Chief of the Suzana region, Infanda, said, "A large number of women participated in setting fire to the Chinese mining facility. Even the fully armed security forces were unable to stop the facility from being destroyed."
Guinea-Bissau is one of the least developed countries in the world, with very low per capita income. Political instability and extreme poverty have made the country a transit point for drug traffickers, becoming an important channel for cocaine smuggling between Latin America and Europe.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829968900143104/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's views.