Having lost their traditional herds, the local people of Karamoja, Uganda have increasingly turned to small-scale gold mining as a meager but fairly steady source of income. Their livelihoods are now threatened as large mining interests grow.
Looming Battle for Karamoja’s Gold
![A miner uses a metal stick to loosen the dirt, which she will later mix with water and sift for gold, March 2, 2014. (Hilary Heuler for VOA)](https://gdb.voanews.com/A3E4C2E3-55F1-4386-8740-A03FDAACD0E3_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A miner uses a metal stick to loosen the dirt, which she will later mix with water and sift for gold, March 2, 2014. (Hilary Heuler for VOA)
![Ukraynanın müharibə bölgəsi](https://gdb.voanews.com/199E6A37-92DC-455E-9FFB-2AFAD049174F_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Ukraynanın müharibə bölgəsi
![A Karimojong couple mine in a hole they dug by hand, March 2, 2014. (Hilary Heuler for VOA)](https://gdb.voanews.com/DD506166-9C3B-407C-A345-2D1E31B71552_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A Karimojong couple mine in a hole they dug by hand, March 2, 2014. (Hilary Heuler for VOA)
![Two artisanal miners dig a pit in a dry riverbed in Karamoja, Uganda, March 2, 2014. (Hilary Heuler for VOA)](https://gdb.voanews.com/EA83805A-9813-4EF3-AC72-2406FF97BE8A_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Two artisanal miners dig a pit in a dry riverbed in Karamoja, Uganda, March 2, 2014. (Hilary Heuler for VOA)