MALI: SECURITY THREATS TO COMMERCIAL MINING OPERATIONS INTENSIFY
Thu, 07 March 2024
An escalation of militancy in Mali’s southwest is posing a growing threat to commercial gold mining operations, as illustrated by last month’s repeat attack on a mine convoy. Any deployment of Russian paramilitaries to the south and southwest mining regions would increase the threat of these groups seizing control of commercial gold mines, especially if a planned Russian funded gold refinery is initiated. In the meantime, artisanal mines remain at highest risk of both militant attacks and seizure by Russian paramilitaries.
