The bishops of Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) called on the government to “intensify the fight against the illegal exploitation of gold,” since the practice “poses serious public health problems.”

The bishops also questioned the “massive purchase of agricultural land by some foreign powers” as “a challenge that affects everyone, especially the government. This practice has been denounced by several NGOs [non-governmental organizations] and a number of peasant unions as a new form of agrarian colonialism.”

The West African nation of 28.1 million (map) is 42% Muslim, 35% Christian (16% Catholic), and 22% ethnic religionist.