By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The military junta in Burkina Faso is considering the withdrawal of mining permits issued to some foreign companies, and is opting to produce more of its own gold, junta leader Ibrahim Traore said on Saturday.
Traore did not however specify which permits could be cancelled or provide details when implementation will commence.
“We know how to mine our gold and I don’t understand why we’re going to let multinationals come and mine it,” Traore said in a radio address to mark two years since he seized power in a coup.
“In fact, we are going to withdraw mining permits,” he stated.
Gold is the main export of the West African country. Mining has however been hampered by activities of militant groups, which helped bring the junta to power in 2022.
Despite the junta promising to contain groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State, the country saw a severe escalation of deadly attacks in 2023.
According to the US-based crisis-monitoring group ACLED, more than 8,000 people reportedly killed.
Key firms operating in the country’s mining sector include, London-listed Endeavour Mining, Australia-based West African Resources, Russia’s Nordgold, and Canada’s Orezone Gold Corporation.
Since coming into power, the military junta has severed longstanding ties with Western allies, including France that colonized it and sought closer relations with Russia.
