At least 10 killed in Guinea in crackdown on gold mining
Summary
Clashes in Balato, in Guinea’s Siguiri region, killed at least 10 people and injured 13 during a security patrol enforcing a ban on artisanal gold mining. Guinea’s government said the ban aims to limit environmental damage, while neighboring countries have reported that tens of thousands of people left Guinea after it was imposed.Key Facts
- The clashes occurred on Wednesday during a patrol checking compliance with the ban on artisanal gold mining.
- Protesters erected barricades, and the confrontation escalated into clashes and gunfire; authorities did not say who fired first.
- At least 10 people died, including five foreign nationals whose identities have not been established.
- The 13 injured included civilians and members of the security forces.
- Two pickup trucks and a security forces truck were burned, and protesters took a firearm and a motorcycle, the ministry said.
- Guinea banned artisanal gold mining in Siguiri on November 2, citing environmental damage to farmland, rivers and vegetation.
- Mali said about 100,000 people arrived in Bamako and nearly 60,000 in Kouremale after leaving Guinea; Burkina Faso said it had repatriated 45,406 of its citizens.
- Guinean authorities said they arrested more than 1,200 people suspected of illegal gold mining in Siguiri earlier this month, and the first mass trials opened this week.
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