ISLAMIST militant groups are extending their footprint across central West Africa’s mining belt, contesting territory with governments and stoking fears over the safety of mining investments, said Bloomberg News on Wednesday.
New research from conflict monitor ACLED showed armed factions, particularly al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, are increasingly striking roads, communities and trade networks within about 10km of mining concessions in the central Sahel, the newswire said. Gold-linked sites made up about 90% of recorded incidents across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, it said.
Burkina Faso and Mali rank among Africa’s largest gold producers, hosting operations run by Barrick Mining, B2Gold, Endeavour Mining, and Allied Gold. ACLED said the region’s gold boom is handing militants fresh ways to fund operations, recruit members and extend their reach.
Burkina Faso accounted for roughly three-quarters of mining-linked conflict incidents in the area since 2015, though Mali and Niger have taken a growing share more recently.
ACLED analyst Heni Nsaibia said attacks tend to cluster around the fringes of mining operations rather than targeting industrial sites directly, since the latter demands more resources and carries greater risk.
Smaller, semi-mechanised operations have become easier targets, he said, noting roughly a dozen kidnapping incidents involving Chinese nationals over the past year. Such episodes, he added, are pushing companies toward greater caution over investment and engagement in the region.
