About 160,000 people have crossed into Mali after Guinea launched a crackdown on artisanal gold mining, Malian authorities said, straining shelters, transport and health services in Bamako and at the border town of Kourémalé. Mali’s crisis management committee, known as CECOGEC, said on Nov. 7 that about 100,000 people were in Bamako and about 60,000 in Kourémalé, APA News reported. Six people have died in Kourémalé.
Most of those expelled are from Burkina Faso, with others from Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Togo and Benin, according to APA and DW. Many had worked in Guinea’s informal gold mines, which draw migrants from across West Africa.
~160,000 arrivals in Mali | 6 deaths in Kourémalé | 1,263 arrests in Guinea | 228m CFA Malian response plan
Where the arrivals are
CECOGEC’s figures put most arrivals in the capital and at the main border crossing on the Guinea-Mali road. Regional authorities also reported about 5,000 people in Bougouni, 500 in Kita and 400 in Kayes, but officials did not say whether those groups are counted in the 160,000 total, so they should not be added together.
By The Boston Report’s calculation from CECOGEC’s figures, Bamako holds about 62% of the reported arrivals and Kourémalé about 38%. If the regional figures were separate from the total, they would add about 5,900 people, or less than 4%, so the overall picture would not change much.
The response
Malian Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maïga visited affected areas on Nov. 8. The government has adopted a response plan worth 228 million CFA francs, APA reported. Health workers carried out 760 medical consultations in Bamako, and the Red Cross said it was spending about 10 million CFA francs a day on assistance.
Efforts to move people onward are under way. On Nov. 7, 63 trucks and 39 buses were mobilized to carry about 14,000 people, according to APA. Burkina Faso sent 48 buses for about 3,000 of its citizens, and about 3,430 Burkinabè had reached home since Nov. 5. Even at that pace, most of those displaced remain in Mali for now.
Why Guinea cracked down
Guinea’s authorities have launched operations against artisanal, or small-scale, gold mining and have arrested 1,263 people, according to Seneweb, citing AFP. Those expelled include people who worked in the mines and others who lived in mining camps. Artisanal gold mining is a major source of income across West Africa, drawing workers across borders, but it is often informal and unlicensed, which puts workers at risk when governments decide to enforce the rules.
The expulsions add to pressure on Mali, which is itself dealing with armed groups and economic strain, and on Burkina Faso, whose citizens make up the largest share. Both countries are members of the Alliance of Sahel States along with Niger. Migration flows from West Africa are also visible on sea routes, as shown by the deadly Senegal migrant boat sinking this week. For more on regional diplomacy, see our coverage of the African Union’s political parties summit.
Analysis: the logistics problem
The transport numbers show the scale of the task. If the 63 trucks and 39 buses moved about 14,000 people in one operation, and Burkina Faso’s 48 buses carry about 3,000, then by The Boston Report’s calculation it would take roughly nine operations of the Nov. 7 size to move everyone currently in Mali. At the Red Cross’s reported spending rate of about 10 million CFA francs a day, the government’s 228 million CFA franc plan equals a little over three weeks of the Red Cross’s current outlay, which suggests the response will need outside funding if the stay lasts longer.
What to watch
The key questions are how quickly buses and trucks can move people home, whether Guinea slows the expulsions, and whether international agencies step in with funding. Conditions in Kourémalé, where deaths have already been reported, are the most urgent concern. A regional response through ECOWAS is complicated by the fact that Mali and Burkina Faso have left the bloc.
Sources
- APA News: Mali reports nearly 160,000 arrivals from Guinea, increases assistance
- DW: Des orpailleurs refoulés de Guinée affluent au Mali
- Seneweb (AFP): Opérations anti-orpaillage en Guinée, 160,000 personnes refoulées vers le Mali
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