The mineral resources within the Sahel region, particularly its gold wealth, are currently facing severe threats from insurgent groups, as the junta-led administrations of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso contend for control over its regional assets.
According to a recent study by conflict monitor ACLED, armed groups, including al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, are increasingly targeting roads and communities within a 10km radius of mining concessions in the Sahel.
For the junta-led countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, all of which exited the Economic Community of West African States to form their own regional umbrella, the Alliance of the Sahel States, security incidents are 90% gold-related.
Barrick Mining Corp., B2Gold Corp., Endeavour Mining Plc, and Allied Gold Corp. operate mining concessions within Mali and Burkina Faso, which constitute two of the foremost gold-producing nations in Africa.
According to the data from ACLED, as seen on Bloomberg, the proliferation of gold mining activities in the region affords militant organizations critical opportunities for revenue generation, tactical recruitment, and the expansion of their operational influence.
