Mali Bans Small-Scale Gold Mining Permits for Foreigners Amid Safety Concerns
Mali has halted the issuance of small-scale gold mining permits to foreign nationals following a series of fatal mining accidents.
Interim President Assimi Goïta has directed the government to implement stricter measures to prevent human and environmental disasters, Minister of Security and Civil Protection General Daoud Aly Mohamedinne announced on Wednesday.
The new measures include:
- Suspending the authority of local officials to grant artisanal mining permits to foreign nationals.
- Seizing equipment used for small-scale gold mining.
- Dismissing local authorities in areas where fatal mining incidents have occurred.
The crackdown follows a tragic mine collapse in western Mali last month, which claimed the lives of at least 49 people, many of them women. The accident occurred in an open-pit site where individuals were searching for gold.
Mali’s military government has been tightening its grip on the country’s lucrative mining industry. A recently introduced mining code increases the state’s stake in mining operations, reflecting efforts to assert greater control over the sector.
As Africa’s second-largest gold producer, Mali is also engaged in a dispute with Canada’s Barrick Gold Corp. over revenue from the Loulo-Gounkoto mining complex, the country’s largest gold mine.
