Africa-Press. Local newspaper “L’Indépendant” reported that Malian authorities arrested five officials at a local mining company on charges related to financial corruption and the smuggling/diversion of revenues from gold exports, in a case that may reflect tensions between Mali and its neighbor Burkina Faso over mining interests in the region.
According to Mali’s “L’Indépendant,” those detained are senior officials of Komana Mines, a subsidiary of the British group Hummingbird, which operates the Yanfolila gold mine in southern Mali.
The mine has recently become the property of Burkinabè businessman and banker Idrissa Nassa, after his investment group Coris Invest acquired Hummingbird.
Authorities in Bamako accuse the company of failing to transfer gold export proceeds to the state treasury and are demanding nearly 700 billion CFA francs (about €1.1 billion). They have also imposed a ban on gold exports. Investigations indicate the proceeds were deposited into offshore accounts between 2024 and 2025.
Background to the dispute
Just one year earlier, the British group had paid around 10 billion CFA francs (€15.2 million) in response to demands from the Malian government, and agreed to operate under the provisions of the new mining code—suggesting at the time that the dispute had been resolved.
However, Coris Invest’s acquisition of Hummingbird brought the issue back into the spotlight, amid talk that the case is tied to broader disagreements between Mali and Burkina Faso.
In September 2025, Ouagadougou nationalized the Tabarko gold mine, which was owned by Skygold Resources, linked to Malian Mamou Touré, a senior adviser in the Malian presidency.
Informed sources attributed Bamako’s move against the company to what may be a “reciprocal response” to that step.
According to the Malian newspaper, the five officials spent a week in custody before being transferred to Bamako’s central prison under an arrest warrant issued on Friday, January 23.
