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| A woman pans for gold in Siguiri Prefecture, Guinea, in 2000. File photograph. Laura Lartigue / USAID, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. |
Guinean courts have begun hearing cases arising from a crackdown on unlicensed gold mining in Siguiri, as defence lawyers challenge the prosecutions and neighbouring countries raise concerns about the treatment of expelled workers.
Authorities reported arresting 1,263 people during the operation in the northeastern gold-producing region. The prosecutions involve several courts, with one case in Conakry bringing together 202 miners and 22 former local administrators.
Guinea’s state news agency, AGP, reported that proceedings against the miners began on Tuesday, 10 November, before the Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offences, known by its French acronym CRIEF. The court subsequently joined their case with that of the administrators.
Following Wednesday’s hearing, the Conakry court adjourned proceedings until 16 November, according to local news outlet Africaguinée.
Abou Camara, a lawyer representing the miners, argued that his clients should not bear responsibility for illicit enrichment linked to the mining operations.
“The real culprits are elsewhere, not my clients. We must not use my clients as scapegoats. They are not the ones [responsible]. They are far from being connected to these acts of illicit enrichment.”
AGP reported that miners who had addressed the court pleaded guilty to the charges against them, which include illegal mineral extraction and environmental offences. Their lawyers have challenged allegations concerning the wider operation of the mines and the involvement of local officials.
Several administrators have lost their posts amid accusations that they facilitated or tolerated illegal mining. Their lawyer, Sidiki Berete, disputed the basis for holding them responsible, saying they had recently taken office and inherited existing problems.
“We cannot go after our authorities, who were appointed barely four months ago and inherited this situation. Criminal liability is personal. As for corruption, the individuals arrested have publicly stated in court that they do not even know these officials, that there was no contact, and that they did not have their authorization. No money was involved. Therefore, there is no connection.”
The arrests followed restrictions on unregulated mining that took effect on 2 November. Guinea’s defence and security authorities said those detained included Guineans and nationals of Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Mining sites in Siguiri have attracted workers from across West Africa. The enforcement campaign has also displaced large numbers of people across Guinea’s borders, prompting complaints from neighbouring governments.
Malian authorities said on 7 November that they had received about 160,000 people expelled from Guinea since the operations began. They also reported six deaths and warned of a humanitarian emergency.
Hundreds of miners have since started leaving an assembly site in Mali aboard buses and trucks, Africanews reported.
Burkina Faso has separately criticised the removal of more than 8,000 of its nationals. Security Minister Mahamadou Sana alleged that some suffered inhumane and degrading treatment, including injuries and deaths, and said Guinea had not notified his government before the operation.
He argued that advance communication through diplomatic channels would have allowed Burkina Faso to organise its citizens’ return more effectively.
In its 2 November notice, the Guinean government attributed the restrictions to damage to farmland, vegetation and waterways from mining activities. It announced security deployments and controls intended to prevent equipment and chemicals from reaching prohibited sites.
The notice said enforcement would apply irrespective of nationality and that security personnel must respect human rights. Guinea’s mineral resources include substantial gold and bauxite deposits, while authorities identify land degradation and water pollution as reasons for restricting unregulated extraction.