Miners Expelled from Guinea Begin Leaving Gathering Site in Mali

Hundreds of gold miners expelled from Guinea have begun leaving a gathering site in Mali, with trucks and buses being used to transport people away from the location.

Some miners were waiting with their luggage, while others boarded vehicles that had arrived to collect them. The exact number of people who have departed, and their destinations, was not immediately specified.

Mali reports large influx

Mali authorities said they had received around 160,000 people expelled from Guinea since the start of the operations. The figure was reported on November 7, along with six deaths linked to the situation.

Mali authorities have described the circumstances as a potential “humanitarian emergency”. Details about the reported deaths, including when and how they occurred, were not provided.

The arrivals followed measures by Guinea targeting unregulated and clandestine mining in Siguiri, a key gold-producing region in northeastern Guinea. The ban took effect on November 2.

Arrests in Guinea

The Guinean government said more than 1,200 people were arrested in the region during a crackdown on illegal mining.

A joint statement from Guinea’s ministries of defence and security put the number of arrests at 1,263 people involved in alleged gold panning. Those arrested included citizens of Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Niger, Ivory Coast and Ghana.

The crackdown has led to what was described as an unprecedented influx of people from the Guinean border region into Mali.

Authorities are also seeking to address environmental problems associated with artisanal gold mining, including land degradation and pollution of waterways. Guinea is rich in mineral resources, particularly gold and bauxite, while Siguiri is one of its important gold-producing areas.

The figures attributed to Mali authorities and Guinea’s government and security ministries have not been independently verified.