At least two people, two young men aged 20 and 23, were killed and public and private property destroyed in Kouroussa, 500 km from the capital Conakry, in eastern Guinea, during clashes between artisan miners and police on Saturday 17 April. erupted during protests by Guinean gold miners accusing the Guinean authorities of abolishing a craft mine in favor of Burkinabè operators.
as reported from Conakry, Moktar Bah
A statement from the city’s elder broadcast on a rural radio station banning the gold mines in Kouroussa from accessing a gold mine is believed to be the cause of the violence.
This press release asked the citizens of Kouroussa to stop all gold mining activity on this site, which now belongs to the Kouroussa Gold Mining company. The message specified that “all perpetrators would be held accountable for his aversion and hostility.”
The artisan miners felt betrayed by their representatives, barricaded the city center, burned tires and charred vehicles. They also vandalized the homes of the city’s prefect and mayor and evicted local administrators.
The protesters in particular condemned the exploitation of mining sites, their only source of income, by Burkinabe citizens under the guise of Kouroussa Gold Mining.
Issuers from the head of state, including the governor of Upper Guinea, Sadou Kéita, went to Kouroussa to restore calm in the city. This Sunday, April 18, it is an insecure calm that reigned in the resort according to several sources.
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