Security Crisis Deepens In Mali As Government Targets Illegal Gold Trade Amid Coordinated Attacks
Government Confronts Economic and Security Challenges Simultaneously
MALI has launched a major reform of its lucrative gold sector while simultaneously battling a fresh wave of coordinated insurgent attacks, highlighting the dual economic and security challenges confronting the military-led government.
Authorities recently established a new state agency to regulate artisanal and small-scale mining, a move aimed at curbing widespread gold smuggling that officials say deprives the country of billions of dollars in annual revenue. The reform comes as insurgents mounted coordinated attacks across several regions, underscoring the persistent instability facing Africa’s third-largest gold producer.
The developments reflect the government’s effort to strengthen state authority over strategic economic resources while continuing military operations against armed groups operating across the Sahel.
New Agency to Tighten Control Over Gold Sector
The Malian government announced the creation of the Malian Office of Precious Substances, a specialised agency mandated to regulate the trade in gold and other precious minerals, particularly production from artisanal and small-scale miners.
Officials said the agency will oversee the purchase, certification and monitoring of precious minerals with the objective of reducing illegal exports that have significantly weakened government revenue.
Gold remains Mali’s largest export commodity and one of the country’s most important sources of foreign exchange.
According to government officials, substantial quantities of gold leave the country through informal and illicit channels without official declaration, depriving the state of taxes, royalties and export earnings.
A 2024 report by Swiss-based development organisation SWISSAID estimated that approximately 57 tonnes of Malian gold are smuggled abroad annually, with an estimated market value of about $3.77 billion, illustrating the scale of revenue losses associated with illicit mining activities.
Authorities believe stronger regulation of the artisanal mining sector could improve transparency, increase government earnings and enhance oversight of mineral exports.
Coordinated Insurgent Assaults Across Five Locations
While pursuing reforms in the mining sector, Mali’s security forces faced a series of coordinated attacks launched early Saturday against military positions in five strategic locations across the country.
The Malian Armed Forces said the assaults targeted army installations in Anefis, Aguelhoc and Gao in northern Mali, Sevare in the central region and Kenioroba south of the capital, Bamako.
Military authorities stated that government troops successfully repelled the attacks and subsequently restored control in the affected areas.
According to the army, security forces killed 20 suspected insurgents in Sevare and six others in Gao, while one pro-government fighter lost his life and four others sustained injuries.
Officials described the security situation as “totally under control” following military operations.
Rebels Claim Participation
A spokesperson for the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) confirmed that the Tuareg-led armed movement participated in Saturday’s operations.
The group previously cooperated with Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) during coordinated attacks carried out in April, including an assault targeting Bamako’s airport that reportedly resulted in the death of Mali’s defence minister.
However, JNIM had not immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attacks.
The FLA spokesperson said its fighters entered Anefis, where Malian government troops and Russian military personnel had been deployed following earlier security operations in northern Mali.
Independent verification of the claim was not immediately available.
Residents Describe Heavy Fighting
Residents in affected communities reported prolonged exchanges of gunfire, rocket attacks and explosions.
In Gao, eyewitnesses said military authorities restricted movement while fighting continued around a military installation.
Residents described intense explosions and sustained gunfire that forced civilians to remain indoors for several hours.
In Sevare, witnesses reported multiple large explosions following early morning gunfire, suggesting fierce clashes between government forces and armed groups.
Diplomatic and security sources also reported an attack on a prison facility in Kenioroba, although officials indicated that security forces prevented the attackers from overrunning the facility.
Persistent Security Threat
The latest attacks add to growing concerns over Mali’s security environment despite repeated assurances by the military government that it would restore stability after seizing power in successive coups in 2020 and 2021.
Jihadist groups continue to stage attacks across Mali as well as neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, where military governments have increasingly relied on Russian security assistance following reduced cooperation with Western partners.
The renewed violence also comes as Mali seeks to strengthen international cooperation on both security and mining investment while implementing reforms designed to maximise returns from its abundant mineral resources.
