More than 1,300 arrested over gold mining in Guinea’s Siguiri
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Africaguinée
Conakry Court of Appeal prosecutor-general Fallou Doumbouya announced on 12 November 2026 that more than 1,300 people had been arrested in Guinea’s Siguiri prefecture for illegal mining and environmental degradation. On 9 November, he asked the Supreme Court to remove the Siguiri court from the cases, according to Guinea’s national television.
Conakry Court of Appeal prosecutor-general Fallou Doumbouya said on Thursday 12 November 2026 that more than 1,300 people had been arrested in Siguiri in operations against illegal mining, environmental degradation and damage to natural resources, according to Africaguinée. Those arrested include nationals of several West African countries, including Guineans.
Following a referral by Fallou Doumbouya on 9 November, Guinea’s Supreme Court ordered, in a ruling delivered by a full bench, that the Siguiri Court of First Instance be removed from the cases and that the proceedings be transferred to courts under the Conakry Court of Appeal. The public prosecutor’s office then coordinated the prosecutions and organised the hearings, according to the prosecutor-general.
Hearings held from 10 to 12 November before the courts of Kaloum, Dixinn, Matam, Guéckédou, Forécariah and Coyah, as well as before the Conakry Children’s Court, resulted in prison sentences of 18 months to two years, Fallou Doumbouya said. These convictions also included additional penalties, depending on the case.
The operation follows the announcement on 9 November of the trial of 1,263 people for illegal gold mining in Guinea and the arrest of 1,412 people in Upper Guinea on 10 November. The measure also follows the ban on gold mining in Siguiri waterways on 2 November.
