Islamist militants free Moroccan truck drivers held since January, Mali says
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Al Arabiya
7 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Niger announces nationalization of its only gold mine
Niger's military government has announced the nationalization of the country's sole industrial gold mine, accusing its Australian operator of 'serious breaches' as the junta seeks greater control of natural resources. The military junta has ruled the West African nation since seizing power in a 2023 coup, promising to crack down on Niger's myriad security issues. Juntas in Niger, neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali have ramped up pressure on foreign mining companies in recent years, with Niger nationalizing the local branch of French uranium giant Orano in June. Australian group McKinel Resources Limited took control of the Societe des mines du Liptako (SML) gold mine, situated on the bank of the River Niger, in 2019 after purchasing a majority stake from a public firm. 'In view of serious breaches (and) with a view to saving this highly strategic company, the state of Niger has taken the decision to nationalize SML,' said an order from junta leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, read on state television on Friday. 'This measure is in line with the vision of the president of the republic, which is to promote the full appropriation of its natural resources by the Nigerien people,' it said. In 2023, industrial gold production at the mine amounted to 177 kilograms, while artisanal production in the country totaled 2.2 tons, according to a report by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. Niger's junta said since McKinel's takeover of SML, the mine has fallen into an 'alarming economic situation.' It criticized the Australian firm for failing to implement a $10 million investment plan which the junta said has led to tax and wage arrears, worker layoffs and 'significant increased debt,' as well as production stoppages. In May, a bomb blast in extremist-riven west Niger killed at least eight workers at the SML mine in the Tillaberi region. The army has deployed more than 2,000 soldiers to fight the extremist groups in the surrounding region, at the epicenter of the violence wracking the country.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Arab News
Islamist militants free Moroccan truck drivers held since January, Mali says
BAMAKO: Islamic State-affiliated militants have released four Moroccan truck drivers kidnapped in January, Mali said late on Monday, according to state media, highlighting growing intelligence cooperation between the two men and their three trucks disappeared in January while crossing without an escort from Dori in Burkina Faso to Tera in Niger, an area known for jihadist threats, a diplomatic source said at the were shown alongside Mali junta leader Assimi Goita in footage broadcast on Monday night by state media, which reported that they had been freed on Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali are battling militant groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State that have been destabilising West Africa's Sahel region for more than a three countries have halted defense cooperation with France and other Western forces and turned toward Russia for military support. And last year they announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), raising the risk of diplomatic has meanwhile drawn closer to the three landlocked April, the foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali endorsed an initiative offering them access to global trade through Morocco's Atlantic ports. Morocco also mediated to secure the release in December of four French nationals who had been held in Burkina Faso for a release on Sunday of the four truck drivers came as a result of cooperation between the security and intelligence services of Mali and Morocco, Malian state media reported.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Arab News
Morrocan truck drivers kidnapped by Daesh group released in Mali
BAMAKO: Four Moroccan truck drivers, who were kidnapped in January in West Africa by the Daesh group and held captive for months, were released late Sunday, Malian authorities said. The truckers were traveling 3,000 miles to transport electrical equipment from Casablanca to Niamey, the capital of Niger, before they were reported missing on January 18, 2025, in northeastern Burkina Faso, near the border with Niger. The Malian government said in a statement read on public television late Monday the truck drivers were released 'safe and sound' Sunday evening. It added the four were held by the Islamic State in the Sahel Province, a subgroup of the Islamic state group. Malian public television showed video of the drivers wearing traditional Malian clothes in the company of junta leader Gen. Assimi Goïta. The Malian government said their release was made possible thanks to the coordinated efforts between Mali's National State Security Agency and Morocco's foreign intelligence service. Mali, along with neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, has for more than a decade battled an insurgency by armed groups, including some allied with Al-Qaeda and the Daesh group. Following military coups, the three countries expelled French forces and turned to Russia's mercenary units for assistance, but the security situation has been deteriorating. In May, extremist fighters abducted two Chinese nationals during an attack on an artisanal gold mining site in Mali. In February, Moroccan authorities said they arrested a dozen people who were planning attacks on behalf of the Islamic State in the Sahel Province subgroup. Morocco has worked to present itself as a regional leader and is forging deeper ties with countries in the Sahel. Foreign ministers of landlocked Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso said they were backing a Moroccan initiative granting them access to the Atlantic ocean using its ports. Last year, Rabat mediated the release of four French intelligence agents held in Burkina Faso.
