Continuation of our series of reports in northern Mali. Near the city of Tessalit, gold panning sites were stormed outside the Malian state rules, so the jihadists imposed their legislators on yellow metal operators, sellers and buyers.
With our special correspondent in Tessalit, Serge Daniel
Among the operators there are locals, but some come far away. From Sudan, Burkina Faso and other African countries. According to witnesses, in the surroundings of Tessalit, we find them in about fifteen places for the extraction and treatment of the yellow metal.
Big funds are mobilized by small investors mediating in this part of Mali: jackhammers, compressors and even generators. Smaller children are said to be among the gold miners working for wealthy people. As adults, they have contracts and earn a pretty good stay.
About 25 km from Tessalit, in the small town of Abanco, the wild exploitation of gold mines has changed the face of the place. According to several sources, a city even rose from the ground. There are restaurants, shops and even a money transfer center.
Last year, despite a few landslides, 25kg of gold discovered at one time would have made several people happy. Including jihadists who, according to witnesses, charge a tax on sales operations. In any case, while nothing is done without them, everything is done without the services of the Malian state.
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