By AFP - Agence France Presse
Taliban, greedy for money, bets on Afghanistan's mines
Claire Gounon
A miner in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan poured water over a block of jade, exposing the green stone that is part of the Taliban authorities' effort to capitalize on the country's rich mineral resources.
With the announcement of the return of security, the Taliban government is rushing to woo local and foreign investors to exploit the country's underground wealth and secure a crucial revenue stream, although experts warn of the risks of cutting corners.
Emeralds, rubies, marble, gold, and lithium: the resources buried in Afghanistan's rocky landscape are estimated to be worth a trillion dollars, according to US and UN assessments from 2010 and 2013.
Although decades of war have spared these reserves from large-scale exploitation, around 200 contracts - mostly with local companies - worth billions of dollars in total have been signed since the Taliban's return to power in 2021, according to official figures.
“We want Afghanistan to be self-sufficient, but there are obstacles,” Humayoun Afghan, spokesman for the Ministry of Mines, told AFP.
“We have no experts, no infrastructure, and no knowledge.”
The Taliban authorities “will welcome anyone who wants to invest, especially those with experience in mining,” he added.
Many of these contracts focus on mining exploration, a process that can take years and produce few results, while poorly regulated extraction can leave environmental scars, experts warn.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) noted that the production of coal, talc, and chromite “increased sharply” in 2021 and 2022.
The authorities are prioritizing resources that could lose value before dealing with others, such as lithium, whose prices could still rise in global markets.
The mining ministry regularly publishes tenders for exploration and extraction projects, sending embassies lists of available mining projects to invite foreign companies to apply, according to documents reviewed by AFP.
The World Bank says that the results are already visible: a 6.9% expansion of mining and quarrying has led to an increase in the industrial sector of 2.6% in 2023-2024.
But although the government “has auctioned several small mining contracts to meet its cash needs, many of these contracts have yet to start operations,” it said in a December report.
For mining sector expert Javed Noorani, the authorities are bidding “perhaps 10 times more than their capacity to get things done”.
- 'The country is stabilized'
The Taliban fought two decades of insurgency against the US- and NATO-backed Afghan government in Kabul, seizing power in a swift military campaign in 2021 after the withdrawal of foreign forces.
Foreign investors had largely abandoned the country, but security has improved dramatically and the country's road network has been opened up.
Most now fear being associated with the “Islamic Emirate”, which is not recognized internationally and is under Western sanctions.
However, some countries with diplomatic and economic ties to Kabul, such as Iran, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Qatar, have seized the opportunity, with China leading the way.
“The first thing investors say when they meet us is that the country has been stabilized, so now they want to invest,” said Afghan, who estimates that 150,000 jobs have been created by the sector since 2021.
Despite the greater stability in the mountainous country, there have been sporadic attacks on foreigners claimed by the Islamic State group - including a Chinese mine worker killed while traveling in the northern province of Takhar in January.
- China in the lead
The Chinese state-owned company MCC is already operating at the Mes Aynak copper deposit, the second largest in the world, located 40 kilometers from Kabul, according to a 2008 contract renewed by the Taliban government.
Chinese companies have secured at least three other major mining projects, mainly for gold and copper, Afghanistan said.
In a mine dug into the side of a mountain in Goshta, in the eastern province of Nangarhar, jade is extracted for use in jewelry.
“Most of our nephrite goes to China,” said Habibrahman Kawal, co-owner of the mine.
Kawal is pleased with his thriving business, as he had never invested in mining before the Taliban took power.
Only 14 mining companies currently actively operated under the previous government, according to the British-based Center for Information Resilience.
“This suggests that a new group of companies dominates the mining sector in Afghanistan,” it said.
The government refused to disclose revenue figures, but it profits from acquiring stakes in some companies and collecting royalties.
- Environmental risks
Shir Baz Kaminzada, president of the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines, said that some investors disregard international sanctions knowing that “they can make money”. In countries with strict regulations, “you will spend billions to open a mine”.
“In a place like Afghanistan, where there is very little experience with mining and very few, if any, regulations for mining, this is an advantage for companies coming in,” said geophysicist David Chambers, president of a non-profit organization that provides technical assistance in mining activities.
This allows for faster work, but “can cause environmental or economic damage”, he said.
The main danger lies in the mine waste, as only one percent of what is excavated is removed.
The rest can contain iron sulphide minerals that contaminate the soil if they come into contact with water.
The mines ministry claims to adhere to existing legislation to ensure that mines are “cleaned” after extraction, without providing further details.
“Every dollar you don't spend on designing a safe tailings dam (to contain the waste) or cleaning up the water is profit,” said Chambers.
“But again, that leads to possible long-term costs.”
In Afghanistan, admitted Kaminzada, “people are not worrying about the long term”.
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