At least 10 people died in clashes between gold prospectors and security forces in northeastern Guinea-Conakry, following the prohibition of artisanal mining activities in the region, according to the government of the country.
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13/11/2026
by
Lusa
Plink minus 10 people died in clashes between gold prospectors and security forces in northeastern Guinea-Conakry, after the prohibition of artisanal mining activities in the region, today announced the Government of this West African country.
According to a press release published in several local press outlets, the episodes occurred last Wednesday in the Sètiguiyah area in the Siguiri region.
“ These events occurred during a joint patrol of the defense and security forces, charged with verifying, on the spot, the effective implementation of the joint decree of November 2, 2026, which prohibits the extraction of gold in anarchic and illegal manner ", detailed the Government.
“ The protesters raised barricades on the public road, which made the course of the mission difficult,” the authorities said, adding that the situation culminated in clashes, “during which there was an exchange of fire between the demonstrators and the defense and security forces.”.
According to the provisional balance sheet of the Siguiri authorities, at least ten people died, including five foreign citizens.
Thirteen people were injured between civilians and agents, and material damage was recorded.
Two open-box vans and a security truck were set on fire and sprayed gold rocks. A tent serving as a liquor store was destroyed and several other structures were vandalized.
In another statement, the citizens' movement Guinea Social Forces Forum (FFSG) condemned the “brutal” use of force.
The organisation stressed that the episodes resulted in “a dozen dead and several injured by shots from real ammunition”, and called for an independent and impartial investigation into what happened, as well as the search for “consensual economic solutions”.
The new Guinean regulations against illegal mining in Siguiri, issued on November 2, resulted in the arrest and processing of more than 1,200 people, many of them from other West African countries, according to government data.
Guinea-Conakry, a neighbouring country in Guinea-Bissau, has one of the largest iron ore reserves in the world and is the leading exporter of bauxite (fundamental mining for aluminium production), although much of its population lives in poverty.