Latest news with #MalianGovernment
Russia Today
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
France confirms identity of national held in Africa over coup plot
France has confirmed that a French citizen arrested in Mali over a reported coup plot is an employee of its embassy in Bamako, but denied claims of his involvement in an alleged attempt to overthrow the West African country's military government. The Malian government announced last week that it had detained Yann Vezilier, accusing him of acting on behalf of French intelligence to mobilize political leaders, civil society figures, and military officers for 'criminal activities aimed at destabilizing' the country. On Saturday, the French Foreign Ministry dismissed the charges against Vezilier as 'baseless,' according to a statement cited by AFP. 'A dialogue is underway [with the Malian authorities] in order to dispel any misunderstanding and obtain the immediate release of this member of the French embassy in Bamako,' it added. Relations between Bamako and Paris have deteriorated in recent years amid allegations that France is sponsoring terrorism in an attempt to undermine military regimes in the Sahel. The transitional governments of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have cut defense ties with their former colonial metropole and turned to new alliances, including with Russia, to confront a protracted jihadist insurgency that they claim French troops failed to quell despite a decade-long counterterrorism mission. On Thursday, Mali's Security Minister Daoud Aly Mohammedine said an investigation was under way to identify 'possible accomplices' in 'subversive acts' against Bamako involving 'foreign states,' after the arrest of Vezilier and dozens of Malian soldiers. The French Foreign Ministry said the detained national is protected under the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, which grants diplomats immunity from arrest by the host country, and called for his release. However, Fousseynou Ouattara, vice president of the defense committee of Mali's National Transitional Council, told the African Initiative news agency that the provisions on diplomatic immunity did not apply to Vezilier because he was 'caught in the act.' He said the diplomat had spent a year in Bamako as second secretary at the French Embassy, forging ties with senior military and political figures whom he 'ideologically indoctrinated.'
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
French embassy employee arrested in Mali on "unfounded" accusations, says French foreign office
PARIS, Aug 16 (Reuters) - A French man arrested in Mali is a member of the French embassy in the capital Bamako and accusations against him are "unfounded", the French foreign office said in a statement to Reuters on Saturday. The embassy worker, named as Yann Vezilier by the Malian government in a statement on Thursday, was arrested in recent weeks alongside two generals and other military personnel and accused of participating in an alleged plot to destabilise the West African nation. "Dialogue is underway to clear up any misunderstanding," the ministry statement said. It added that his arrest was in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. France's once close relationship with its former colonies in West Africa's Sahel region has soured in recent years since a series of military coups overthrew governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Bloomberg
10-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Mali Helicopters Seize $117 Million of Gold From Barrick's Giant Mine
Malian government helicopters landed unexpectedly at Barrick Mining Corp.'s gold mine on Thursday and seized more than a tonne of the precious metal, according to the company. The move marks another escalation in a protracted dispute between the West African country's government and Toronto-based Barrick, which shuttered its giant Loulo-Gounkoto gold mining complex earlier this year after Malian authorities blocked bullion exports and detained senior employees.
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Mali selling gold from mine seized from Canadian firm
This photo taken on Monday Jan. 22, 2020 shows the gold mine digs in Kidal, Mali. (AP Photo/Baba Ahmed) Authorities in junta-led Mali are selling gold from a major mine seized from Canadian firm Barrick last month, with the aim of restarting operations, official sources told AFP Thursday. A court ruled in June that the western Loulo-Gounkoto mine, one of the world's largest gold complexes, would be managed for six months by a government appointed official instead of the Toronto-based firm. No mining had taken place at Loulo-Gounkoto since January when Malian authorities seized some three tonnes of gold from the mine's reserves. The new administrator is selling some gold stock to finance the restarting of operations, an economy ministry source told AFP. The Malian government and Barrick have been at loggerheads as Bamako attempts to assert greater control of its riches, including by raising royalties from foreign miners. Mali authorities have accused Barrick of failing to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes. A mining ministry source told AFP the gold sale is part of an attempt by the new administrator to manage financial issues including salary arrears. The sources did not indicate how much gold has been sold. Barrick has an 80 per cent stake in the Loulo-Gounkoto complex, while the Malian state holds the rest. 'While Barrick's subsidiaries remain the legal owners of the mine, operational control has been transferred to an external administrator', Barrick confirmed last month following the court decision. It said arbitration had started through the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, a World Bank arbitration panel. One of the poorest countries in the world, Mali is ruled by a junta which came to power in back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021. Loulo-Gounkoto, in western Mali near the border with Senegal, was opened two decades ago and the first gold from underground operations was produced in 2011. According to the trade publication Mining Technology, the mine contributed around $1 billion to the Malian economy in 2023.
Russia Today
19-06-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Canadian mining giant loses control of African site
Mali has temporarily stripped Canadian firm Barrick of control over the West African country's largest gold mining operations, amid an escalating dispute over alleged unpaid taxes and royalties. On Monday, a court in Bamako ruled that the management of the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex in western Mali be handed over to a state-appointed provisional administrator for six months. Bamako Commercial Tribunal Judge Issa Aguibou Diallo announced that the mine will be managed during the period by Soumana Makadji, a former health minister and professional accountant. The decision follows the government's closure of Barrick's offices in the capital and warnings to take over the site, which has been inactive for months. Mali's military authorities have defended the move as necessary to maintain operations and protect the country's economic interests. Barrick, however, has denounced the court order as illegal and a breach of its contractual agreements. 'This ruling follows actions by the Malian government to block gold exports and seize gold stocks belonging to Barrick's subsidiaries – measures Barrick believes to be unjustified and which led to the temporary suspension of operations,' the mining giant said in a statement. The Loulo-Gounkoto mines are 80% owned by Barrick and 20% by the Malian government. The company suspended operations at the mine in January after the authorities seized three tons of gold from the mines and blocked its exports over unpaid revenues – a claim Barrick denies. In February, Barrick said it had reached a settlement deal to reopen the mine, following an earlier $85 million payment made to the government last October. However, talks between the two sides recently collapsed after Mali demanded a lump-sum tax payment of 125 billion CFA francs ($197 million), while Barrick pushed for a structured repayment plan. Tensions have escalated since late last year over the detention of four Barrick employees, who face charges of money laundering and financing terrorism – accusations the company has rejected as false. The mining giant has filed a case against Mali with the World Bank's arbitration tribunal. 'While the company has made a number of good faith concessions in the spirit of partnership, it cannot accept terms that would compromise the legal integrity or long-term viability of the operations,' Barrick said on Monday. The former French colony introduced a new mining code in 2023, allowing the state to claim up to a 30% stake in new projects as part of efforts to boost revenue amid rising gold prices. The authorities in Bamako have expressed hope that a recent deal with Russia's Yadran Group to establish a gold refinery – 62% owned by Mali – will help boost national revenues from bullion production.
