The ‘terrifying’ crackdown on mining companies in Africa’s coup belt – by Aanu Adeoye and Camilla Hodgson (Financial Times – January 13, 2025)

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Military regimes in the Sahel have turned to tactics including arrests to assert control over critical mineral supplies

International mining companies are at the mercy of “terrifying” tactics from military regimes in Africa’s Sahel, whose leaders are using legal disputes, nationalisations and arrests to assert greater control over crucial minerals like gold and uranium.

Barrick Gold on Tuesday temporarily suspended operations in Mali after the government started seizing gold from its mine, weeks after the country issued an arrest warrant for chief executive Mark Bristow. Authorities separately detained Australian gold miner Resolute’s chief executive Terence Holohan for nearly two weeks.

Niger has also stripped mining rights to one of the world’s largest uranium reserves from French state-owned nuclear producer Orano, while Australia-based gold miner Sarama Resources has launched arbitration proceedings against Burkina Faso after the junta withdrew its exploration licence for a project.

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