With the mining ban followed by deadly clashes and departures into neighboring countries, Guinea’s government reported at least 10 killed and 13 injured during an enforcement patrol in the northeast.
Guinea’s Ministry of Territorial Administration said the patrol took place Wednesday in Balato, part of Siguiri, to check compliance with the Nov. 2 prohibition on artisanal gold mining. Authorities have linked environmental degradation to miners’ failure to follow regulations. The government says restrictions aim to curb damage from heavy equipment on farmland and chemical pollution in rivers.
Protesters placed barricades in the patrol’s path, and the encounter escalated into fighting and gunfire, the ministry said. It did not identify who began shooting. Five of those killed were foreign nationals, but officials had not established their identities. Civilians and security personnel were among the injured. Judicial authorities were assigned to investigate what led to the violence and determine responsibility.
The UN Environment Programme says artisanal and small-scale gold mining provides livelihoods for more than 300,000 people in Guinea. Mali said about 100,000 people from Guinea had reached Bamako and nearly 60,000 others were in Kouremale after the ban was announced. Burkina Faso said Friday it had returned 45,406 citizens who left Guinea because of the ban.
Authorities also reported more than 1,200 arrests in Siguiri earlier this month involving people suspected of illegal mining. Judicial authorities will examine how Wednesday’s violence began and who was responsible.
