The Mali government is reorganizing its gold-mining sector in order to increase its revenues and its control. Mali is the third largest gold producer on the continent, after South Africa and Ghana. The sector has been dominated by Australian and North American companies, including Canada’s Barrick Gold.
Earlier this month, Malian authorities arrested CEO Terence Holohan and two executives of the Australian mining company, Resolute Mining, reported the North Africa Post on Nov. 12. They had arrived in Mali to discuss “claims made against” the company, according to Resolute’s Nov. 10 statement. It says that the three employees were “unexpectedly detained” after the end of these meetings on Nov. 8 and then taken to the unit specializing in the fight against corruption, and against economic and financial delinquency. They were placed in police custody for a case involving alleged forgery and damage to public property, according to the reports by Agence France-Presse.
