Trial of 1,200 illegal gold miners opens in Conakry
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Africanews
The trial of more than 1,200 people prosecuted for illegal gold mining opened on Wednesday in Conakry, with the defendants arrested in the gold-producing region of Siguiri, in north-eastern Guinea. Local officials have also been suspended for facilitating the activity, while the closure of illegal mines has led to the departure of tens of thousands of West African gold miners, according to Africanews.
The trial of more than 1,200 people prosecuted for illegal gold mining opened on Wednesday 11 November in Conakry, Africanews reports. The defendants were arrested in the gold-producing region of Siguiri, in north-eastern Guinea, as part of the authorities’ recent crackdown on artisanal gold mining; several local officials have also been suspended, accused of facilitating and enabling the activity.
Sidiki Berete, lawyer for the officials, disputes their involvement: “We cannot blame our authorities, who were appointed barely four months ago and inherited this situation. Criminal responsibility is personal.” He said the people arrested told the court they did not know these officials and had received neither contact, authorisation nor money from them. The miners’ lawyer, Abou Camara, for his part believes his clients are not the real people responsible and should not be made scapegoats.
The ban on illegal gold mining, which came into force on 2 November, has led to the expulsion of tens of thousands of people from across West Africa. Neighbouring Mali describes the situation as a humanitarian disaster, while Burkina Faso denounces inhumane treatment of its nationals. Guinea, which is rich in gold and bauxite, is seeking through the measure to limit soil degradation and pollution of waterways linked to artisanal mining.
The trial opens two days after that of the 22 territorial administrators of Siguiri before the Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offences (CRIEF), which was adjourned until 16 November, following the 1,263 illegal gold miners arrested in Siguiri.
