16 Burkinabè nationals intercepted at Guinea-Ivory Coast border
Authorities returned the group, including minors, to Guinea after they were intercepted near the Ivory Coast frontier.
16 nationals from Burkina Faso, including several minors and one woman, were intercepted on Friday, November 6, 2026, at the border between Guinea and Ivory Coast. The group was attempting to return to their home country after reportedly engaging in clandestine artisanal gold mining in Boola, located in Guinea's Beyla prefecture.
Ivorian authorities denied passage to several members of the group, particularly minors and those without travel documents, and sent them back to the Guinean side. The 16 individuals were then placed under the care of the regional police in Nzérékoré, with Guinean authorities arranging their return to Burkina Faso.
Sawadogo Prospère, a Burkinabè national accompanying the group, stated they left Boola following a formal ban on illegal gold mining in Guinea. He guided them because none of the younger individuals could speak French, and he did not want to abandon them. The group included several individuals aged 15 to 19, and another who joined from Siguiri.