Commander Zambia Army, Lieutenant General Geoffrey Choongo Zyeele says the importance of leveraging technology to combat illegal mining activities should not be underplayed.Lt Gen Zyeele has reiterated that illegal mining is a scourge that poses significant threat to national security.Speaking today, 23 October, 2025 when National Remote Sensing Centre Director, Dr Pa
trick Sibanda called on him at Army Headquarters in Lusaka, Lt Gen Zyeele highlighted the strategic value of partnerships with like-minded institutions in this fight.He underscored the Remote Sensing Centre’s role in providing real-time data to identify areas of illegal mining, stating that failure to contain these activities could lead to national instability.”If we fail to contain illegal mining, it will result in national instability, which is why we should have partnered a long time ago,” he said.And Dr Sibanda said investing in remote sensing technology can benefit various sectors, including agriculture and mineral exploration.Dr Sibanda added that remote sensing can help track illegal mining activities by identifying signatures and pinpointing locations where such activities are taking place.The Commander Zambia Army has since been invited to visit the centre to appreciate its operations and explore ways to enhance cooperation in the fight against illegal mining.
