BAMAKO, Mali — A tragic landslide occurred in Mali, burying a group of predominantly female gold miners and resulting in multiple fatalities, as reported by the governor’s office in the Koulikoro region on Thursday.
In a statement aired on the national television of Mali, Governor Col. Lamine Kapory Sanogo explained that “the women (gold miners) were numerous at an excavation in search of gold, and the excavation was surrounded by a dike that gave way and allowed water mixed with mud to inundate the area and engulf the women.”
The landslide took place at an artisanal gold mine in southern Mali on Wednesday. Although the governor’s office confirmed the deaths of several miners, they did not specify an exact number.
This incident is not an isolated one, as previous such mishaps have been reported at gold mining sites in Mali, a country recognized as one of Africa’s top three gold-producing nations. In January of the previous year, a collapse at an unregulated mine near Bamako claimed the lives of more than 70 individuals.
Recently, concerns have arisen that profits from unregulated mining activities in northern Mali may be funneled to support extremist groups operating in that region. However, the area affected by the recent collapse is significantly farther south and lies nearer to Bamako.
Gold constitutes Mali’s most critical export, accounting for over 80% of the country’s total exports in 2021, according to the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The mining sector supports the livelihoods of more than 2 million individuals, or more than 10% of Mali’s population.
Artisanal gold mining is estimated to yield approximately 30 tons of gold annually, contributing around 6% to the overall gold production in Mali.