Mali suspends artisanal gold mining permits for foreign companies

Mali suspended licenses for foreign artisanal gold mining companies last week, after a series of fatal accidents in the West African country, one of Africa’s top three gold producers. According to a statement issued by a Council of Ministers, Gen. Assimi Goita, President of Mali’s transitional government ordered the suspension of artisanal mining permits granted to foreigners.

The move comes in response to accidents at mining sites that have claimed the lives of dozens of people, most recently in January in the Koulikoro region, in the south of the country, and in February in the Kayes region, in the southwest.

Artisanal gold mining is estimated to produce around 30 tons of gold a year and represents 6% of Mali’s annual gold production.