Authorities in Guinea have charged 60 individuals with arson, theft, and murder following a deadly riot at the privately-owned Weily Mining company in the northeastern gold-producing region of Siguiri, prosecutors announced on Friday, according to Reuters.
According to a statement from Siguiri’s public prosecutor, Ibrahima I. Camara, the unrest erupted on October 4 after local residents demanded the release of 17 people who had been detained in connection with an earlier act of vandalism at the same mining site.
The protests escalated when demonstrators stormed the mine, setting fire to 10 buses, two pickup trucks, one of which belonged to the gendarmerie, and two buildings. Two people were killed, and several others were injured, the statement said.
The defendants are facing charges including voluntary arson, destruction of property, and complicity in murder.
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Weily Mining, which reported exporting its first gold from the Niagassola mine in September 2024, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The violence underscores mounting tensions in the Siguiri region, which is home to several open-pit gold mines operated by AngloGold Ashanti and has long struggled with widespread illegal artisanal mining.
Guinea, which possesses the world’s largest bauxite reserves and major iron ore deposits at Simandou, has seen increasing unrest at mining sites amid a regulatory crackdown.
The country’s military junta, in power since 2021, has been working to stimulate economic growth by renegotiating mining contracts, accelerating project development, and boosting state revenue from its vast natural resource wealth.
Authorities said that investigations into the Siguiri riot will be carried out jointly by the police and the gendarmerie.
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Image Credit: Reuters
