Guinea detains hundreds of foreigners over illegal gold mining
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Guinee7
Guinea's Foreign Affairs Minister Morissanda Kouyaté says several hundred foreign nationals were detained during operations against illegal gold mining and then handed over to their consular authorities. He defended continuing legal gold mining and strengthening its regulation, according to Guinee7.
Guinea's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Guineans Abroad, Morissanda Kouyaté, announced that several hundred foreign nationals had been detained during operations against illegal gold mining in Guinea. The people arrested were handed over to the consular authorities of their respective countries, he said on Thursday 5 November 2026 during a meeting with diplomats accredited in Guinea.
Morissanda Kouyaté notably cited a first wave of 249 Chinese nationals detained at gold-mining sites. He also mentioned Burkinabè, Malians, as well as nationals of Ivory Coast, Togo, Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Vietnam, India, Sierra Leone and Cameroon, according to his statements.
The minister said the Guinean authorities had not banned gold mining, but were seeking to end its illegal practice. He recalled the existence of joint orders dating from 2015 that were already aimed at ending illegal gold mining and accused some operators of returning to gold-bearing areas after enforcement operations.
These operations come after a ban on gold mining in the waterways of Siguiri announced on 2 November, as part of measures taken by the Guinean authorities against illegal gold mining. the ban on gold mining in the waterways of Siguiri had been announced three days before Morissanda Kouyaté's statements.
