Clashes broke out between security forces and illegal gold miners in northeastern Guinea, killing at least 10 people, the West African country said Thursday.
A government statement said that the clashes took place on Wednesday in the mineral-rich Sigiri region, following the issuance of a decision on November 2 to ban “unregulated and illegal” mining, and the subsequent deployment of military forces in the region.
The government explained that an exchange of fire resulted in the deaths of at least 10 people, including five foreign citizens.
The government added that 13 people, including members of the security forces, were injured, noting that it had referred the incident to the Public Prosecution “to fully uncover its circumstances.”
Since the ban on illegal mining activities and the use of environmentally harmful chemicals came into effect, Guinean security forces have expelled tens of thousands of foreigners who were working in the region's mines.
The government reported that protesters set up barriers while security forces were patrolling the area, and stated that “the situation developed into clashes,” noting that an exchange of fire took place without specifying its initial source.
The operation directed against illegal gold mining led to a large influx of people towards neighboring Mali.
The Malian government announced on Saturday that it had received about 160,000 people who were expelled from Guinea, expressing its deep concern about what it described as a “humanitarian emergency.”
The head of the ruling “military junta” in the State of Mali, General Assimi Goita, held (Tuesday) discussions, the first of their kind, with the Commander of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Davin Anderson, in the capital, Bamako, which dealt with cooperation between the two countries in the field of combating terrorism.
One day before that, General Goita had received a Russian military delegation. He awarded him a high medal as a form of expression of “Mali’s gratitude for Russia’s support in the field of combating terrorism and counterinsurgency.”
The authorities in Mali are seeking to confirm their cautious openness to the United States, without abandoning their strategic relations with Russia, according to what semi-official sources in Bamako confirm.
“Useful discussions”
The Malian presidency announced that General Goeta discussed with the American delegation, which is participating in the second session of the “Bamako International Defense and Security Salon (BAMEX 2026),” “the security situation in the Sahel and Mali’s fight against terrorism.”
The presidency said that the American general “praised the quality of the discussions, and expressed his country’s readiness to continue discussions with the financial authorities regarding regional security,” while local sources confirmed that the discussions “touched on cooperation in the field of the war against the (Al-Qaeda) and (ISIS)” terrorist organizations, without giving more details.
These sources said that General Anderson “confirmed that during the discussions he better understood Goeta’s perception of security threats, stressing the United States’ desire to bring together means to confront these threats,” and said, “Washington is ready to accompany Mali in the fight against terrorism, with a desire to help other Sahel countries as well.”
The American delegation toured the BAMEX exhibition, organized by a Turkish company under the sponsorship of the Mali Presidency and the Ministry of Defense, in conjunction with the presence of a Russian military delegation in the same pavilions, without any communication occurring between the two delegations.
Medal for the Russians
In another statement, the presidency said that Goeta received a Russian delegation led by Lieutenant General Andrei Averianov, advisor to President Vladimir Putin. The President of Mali awarded him the “rank of Commander” in the National Order of the State of Mali, “in appreciation of his contribution to strengthening cooperation in security and defense.”
The presidential statement, published on Wednesday morning, said that relations with Moscow are “a strategic partnership based on mutual respect and the sovereignty of states,” noting that the Russian delegation’s visit comes days after the Mali president participated in the third Russian-African summit, which was held at the end of last October in Moscow.
Mali had ended a strategic partnership with France after the 2020 and 2021 coups, and allied with Moscow through “Wagner” and then the “African Corps,” moving away from the Western camp, including Washington, which withdrew its forces from Mali and imposed sanctions on the coup leaders.
On February 27, Washington returned to lifting sanctions on a number of senior financial officials accused of establishing links with Russian mercenaries, and a cautious path began towards resuming relations between the two countries, especially in the field of collecting and exchanging intelligence information regarding the war on terrorism.
Difficult security situation
Although Mali, in addition to Niger and Burkina Faso, is moving towards an alliance with Russia in the war on terrorism, the security situation is still very difficult in the Sahel region, especially in Mali. In late April, the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda and a rebel group launched simultaneous attacks, the most violent in the history of the conflict that has been going on for more than 15 years.
The rebels and Al-Qaeda fighters took control of Kidal, the most important city in northern Mali. The Malian army and Russian forces left the Tsalit base without a fight, and Defense Minister Sadio Camara, the most prominent supporter of the Russian presence, was killed.
However, the Malian army, with the support of Russian forces, succeeded last month in regaining control of Kidal, and announced the “elimination of dozens of terrorists and rebels” in violent battles in northern Mali, while the Kremlin confirmed that it continues to support Mali. Reports indicate that Russia is deploying more than 2,000 soldiers in Mali.
