The company, which pushed the Pascua Lama project in Chile, said that Army helicopters had arrived ‘without warning’ at the Loulo-Gounkoto complex and seized some 35,000 ounces of gold.
The Malian military junta has seized more than a tonne of gold from the mining company Barrick, equivalent to around £117 million (€100.1 million) at market prices, for ‘possible sale’ by the authorities, according to a statement issued by the multinational.
The company, which promoted the Pascua Lama project in Chile, said that army helicopters had arrived ‘without warning’ at the Loulo-Gounkoto complex and seized some 35,000 ounces of gold.
The regime led by Assimi Goïta already seized another three tonnes in January.
The Malian government had already closed the facilities, which account for 15% of Barrick’s gold production, after blocking exports of the mineral and arresting several of its senior officials. It subsequently reopened the mine under state supervision.
Just yesterday, Goïta signed a law allowing him to remain in office without elections and for five-year terms ‘as many times as necessary,’ according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The leader, who took control of Mali in 2021, will be able to continue governing until the country is ‘pacified’, in reference to Islamic terrorism in the Sahel, which also affects neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.
