Guinea expels more than 8,000 Burkinabe gold miners as Ouagadougou denounces violence
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on 27avril
Guinea has expelled more than 8,000 Burkinabe gold miners from its territory without prior notice, following a ban on artisanal gold mining in several areas of the country's north-east. Burkina Faso's Security Minister, Mahamadou Sana, denounces inhuman and degrading treatment, with injuries and deaths, and calls for diplomatic consultations. The deportees, who were received in Mali, are awaiting support for their reintegration, according to 27avril.
Around 8,000 Burkinabe gold miners expelled from Guinea were taken into care in Mali before returning to Burkina Faso, following a ban on artisanal and illegal gold mining in several areas of north-eastern Guinea, according to Africanews. Burkina Faso's minister responsible for security, Mahamadou Sana, says the operation took place without consultation with Burkina Faso's diplomatic authorities and that people were subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment, with injuries and deaths.
The gold miners are asking the Burkinabe government for support with their reintegration, as some have lost their livelihoods. Abdoul Kaboré, a gold miner expelled from Guinea, is notably calling for measures to enable both qualified and unqualified people to resume work. Around 200 buses were also mobilised in Ouagadougou to organise their return, according to Africanews.
In Mali, food supplies were distributed to the deportees. Alimata Zongo, a Burkinabe resident in the country, described this reception as an act of solidarity between members of the AES, an alliance comprising Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, according to Africanews.
The expulsion follows the ban on gold mining in the waterways of Siguiri, announced on 2 November by Guinea, followed by the suspension of gold mining in Siguiri announced on 5 November by the Guinean authorities. On 5 November, Burkina Faso said it had not been informed of the expulsions. On 7 November, the first expelled gold miners began returning to Burkina Faso.
