The Guinean government has closed all illegal gold‑mining sites in the Siguiri region, a move that has triggered a mass exodus of foreign nationals, mainly from Burkina Faso, toward Mali. In response to the influx, Malian authorities reported that more than 40,000 people were registered in the border town of Kourémalé. Following a meeting of the Inter‑ministerial Committee for Crisis and Disaster Management, the Malian Prime Minister visited the reception sites at Mamarybougou and Ouenzenbougou, where the arrivals from Guinea are being processed. According to a statement from the Malian Prime Minister’s office, the situation is “a true humanitarian catastrophe.” The Prime Minister noted that the number of people in Kourémalé exceeded 40,000. The closure of the Siguiri gold‑mining sites has therefore had implications beyond Guinea, involving Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger—members of the Sahel States Alliance (AES). The regional authorities are monitoring the situation closely as the number of displaced persons continues to rise.
Article source: Guinée 360 | Image credit: Guinée 360