Sahel: the gold rush also benefits armed and terrorist groups
Audio 02:23
Operation of a gold mine in Burkina Faso.
Getty Images / Vostok
By: Olivier Rogez Follow
6 min
The rise in world gold prices is the delight of African states and in particular Sahelian states, such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, large producers of yellow metal.
But in the Sahelian strip, jihadist groups are trying to get their hands on artisanal gold mining activities.
There is a real risk that gold panning, a vital activity for millions of Sahelians, will finance terrorism.
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In the Sahel, the gold boom is whetting appetites.
Whether in Burkina Faso or Mali, in areas beyond the control of the state, armed groups - including jihadist groups like Jnim, in other words the GSMI [Support Group for Islam and Muslims] - want their piece of the pie.
They tax the many artisanal miners who operate artisanal mines.
"
This is becoming a funding channel, a channel that remains secondary compared to other sources of funding, but which is indisputably growing,
" comments Mathieu Pellerin, Sahel analyst at International Crisis Group and author of a report on this subject.
When mines are located in zones of jihadist influence, they pay a tax, simply linked to the control of the zone by these groups
”.
► Also to listen
: The gold boom in West Africa
Demonstrate good judgment
In the Kidal region, certain groups that have signed the peace agreements, such as the CMA [Coordination of Azawad Movements] ensure the protection of artisanal gold sites.
The Malian state, like its Burkinabè neighbor, cannot allow armed groups, jihadist or not, to control part of this activity for a long time.
However, the difficulty lies in not slowing down gold panning, which supports 700,000 people in Mali and a million in Burkina Faso.
States must therefore, according to Mathieu Pellerin, show discernment.
"
In a context where the sources of employment are drying up considerably, due to insecurity, due to the reduction in economic activities, it is at this time that gold panning takes off
", explains -he.
Then to continue: “
So it is an opportunity, a considerable socio-economic safety valve and unparalleled for the Sahelian populations.
And besides, in northern Mali, one can legitimately wonder about the simultaneity of the reduction in violence between armed groups, as well as the relative decrease in banditry, with the discovery of gold.
The key is to ensure a minimum of regulation in areas where it is possible for States.
"
Prevent entire sectors from falling under the control of armed groups
Regulation is first and foremost a better framework for the activities of artisanal miners.
This is what the chambers of mines in Sahelian countries have been working on for several years, in particular by creating gold mining corridors.
► To read also
: The gold mining sites in the Sahel targeted by the jihadists to finance themselves
“
This means issuing gold mining cards, knowing who operates and who has the right to resell through the mechanisms of gold trading posts, but also approvals to authorize the sale and export
(of gold).
This formalization process is the minimum required to begin to know who is doing what in these regions and to prevent entire sectors from falling under the control of armed groups,
”says Mathieu Pellerin.
States must also ensure trade-offs between industrial mines, often operated by large companies, and artisanal mines, in order not to create a feeling of dispossession among the populations concerned.
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Sahel
Raw materials
Terrorism
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