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In Burkina Faso, the security situation continues to deteriorate in Soum province, in the north of the country, on the border with Mali. For several weeks, armed men have taken control of gold laundries, one of the most important economic activities in the region. This is especially the case with the Inata mine.
“Today it is the law on armed men in craft mines,” explains a member of civil society from Djibo. “Either they take a tax on our production, or they buy back at the price they have set,” continues a gold miner in the region. And better not to oppose the armed men. Two weeks ago, two craftsmen were killed near the Ara mine.
But the army and gendarmerie are present in Soum, Tongomayel, Arbinda, Kelbo and Djibo. “They patrol but never stop at the gold laundries,” laments Baba Traoré, president of the National Corporation of Craftsmen and Small Mines in Burkina Faso. The gold mines are looking for permanent departments on a par with craft mines.
Groups that are difficult to identify
For several weeks, armed groups have also intensified their presence in villages, where they preach, sometimes set up courts or even take out zakat, a handout mentioned in the Koran and turned into a treasure trove of terrorist groups. “The sermon has become regular in the municipalities of Baraboule, Diguel and Nassoumbou,” states the mayor of a locality in the region.
Despite their increased presence, it is still difficult to link these armed men to terrorist groups. “Some are Burkinabè, others Malians,” said our source in Djibo. Maybe they are jihadists, maybe simple bandits. They have weapons and that’s all that matters. ”
A security analyst explains:
The movements of these armed men are too important to be just bandits. However, it is difficult to say whether it is the GSIM (Support Group for Islam and Muslims) or the EIGS (Islamic State in the Greater Sahara). Soum’s terrorist network must be recreated and strengthened, hence the strategy of relying on the conquest of “hearts and minds” among civilians, who in any case have no choice but to withdraw. bow to their demands. They thus introduce the rules for financing the network through gold mining activities and the underground economy.
With more than 50 tonnes of gold mined last year, Burkina Faso is the continent’s fourth largest producer. In a report entitled Taking Back the Gold Rush in the Central Sahel, published last year, the International Crisis Group has already sounded the alarm. Armed groups seizing gold pans can prove to be very dangerous for the region’s security.
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