Guinea's gold mining ban drives thousands from Siguiri mining sites
Miners and their families are leaving Kintinian and nearby gold areas after the government banned unregulated artisanal gold digging, a measure announced on 2 November.
Thousands of artisanal gold miners and their families are leaving the mining areas of Siguiri, in northern Guinea, after the government banned unregulated artisanal gold mining in the region. Departures are multiplying in the new prefecture of Kintinian, including Bouré Nafadji, as workers lose their main source of income.
Mohamed Camara, originally from Kissidougou, said he is heading home because he depends entirely on gold digging and has no other trade. Nafina Traoré, a native of Faranah, said her family has no money left and her children sometimes go a full day without eating, and she has appealed to President Mamadi Doumbouya to help women.
Abou Touré is leaving Kintinian before his savings run out rather than wait for the support measures the authorities have announced. The government says the ban is meant to stop soil degradation, the destruction of farmland and the pollution of waterways caused by the activity.
Why it mattersFamilies who relied on gold digging for food and rent now have no income in Siguiri and must return to their home villages.