1,263 illegal gold miners arrested in Siguiri, Guinea
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Africaguinée
Guinean authorities have arrested 1,263 people at illegal gold-mining sites in the administrative region of Siguiri, following a total ban that took effect on 2 November 2026. The people arrested, from seven nationalities, were taken to Conakry for judicial proceedings, according to Guinea's ministers of Defence and Security.
Guinean authorities have arrested 1,263 people of Guinean, Burkinabè, Malian, Togolese, Nigerien, Ivorian and Ghanaian nationalities at illegal gold-mining sites in Siguiri, in north-eastern Guinea. The people arrested were taken to Conakry for judicial proceedings, according to a joint statement issued on 7 November by the ministers delegated for National Defence, General Ibrahima Kalil Condé, and Security and Civil Protection, General Ahmed Mohamed Oury Diallo.
Judicial police officers from the National Police and National Gendarmerie are currently questioning those arrested, who must then be brought before the competent courts, according to the two ministers. The Guinean authorities assure that those arrested will be treated with respect for their dignity and rights throughout the proceedings.
Operations are continuing following the entry into force on 2 November of the total ban on uncontrolled gold mining in the administrative region of Siguiri. The ministers say the operations are being carried out in accordance with Guinean laws and will continue with “rigour and professionalism”. The information gathered in the field had already been presented on 5 November by the minister for Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Guineans Abroad to the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Guinea.
The arrests come after the suspension of gold mining in Siguiri, announced on 5 November, followed by the closure of gold-mining sites in Siguiri, announced on 6 November.
