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Three dead as bus carrying B2Gold employees attacked in Mali

Three dead as bus carrying B2Gold employees attacked in Mali

B2Gold Corp said that three of its employees died after sustaining injuries in an attack on an employee transport convoy in Mali. A bus transporting B2Gold employees from the Fekola Mine to Bamako was attacked approximately 75 kilometres west of Bamako, the Canadian miner said. Mining and processing activities at the Fekola mine have not been impacted by the incident, B2Gold said, adding that it is working with the Malian government to understand further details of the attack. Initial reports indicate several other employees travelling on the bus were wounded, all of whom have been transported to a local hospital,…
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Mali signs agreement with Russia to build gold refinery

Mali signs agreement with Russia to build gold refinery

MALI'S military government said it has signed an agreement with Russia to build a gold refinery in the capital Bamako, one of a slew of deals between the two countries as Russia seeks to extend its regional influence. The accord, a non-binding memorandum of understanding, involves building a 200-tonnes-per-year refinery, minister Alousséni Sanou said in an interview on state television broadcast late on Tuesday. The memorandum is valid for four years, he said, without giving a timeline for construction. If built, it would be the West African country's largest gold refinery. "This will allow us not only to control all…
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Salif Keïta, the defiant Malian football legend who created history on and off the field

Salif Keïta, the defiant Malian football legend who created history on and off the field

FORMER Malian footballer Salif “Domingo” Këita, who passed away on 2 September in Bamako, embodied a crucial moment in the history of African football, helping shape its relationship with the world. His influence was also felt in Europe when he helped shine a light on the rights of French footballers at a critical time. Born on 6 December 1946, the year that the French West African Cup was created, Keïta (not to be confused with Salif Keita the musician) was also an important leader in Malian football. PAUL DIETSCHY, Professeur d'histoire contemporaine, Directeur du Centre Lucien Febvre (EA 2273), Université…
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Activists walk from Bamako to Ouagadougou to promote states’ federation

Activists walk from Bamako to Ouagadougou to promote states’ federation

A small group of activists have been walking from Mali's capital Bamako to Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou to express their support for a federation between the two West African states. The group are due to arrive in Ouagadougou on Tuesday where they will end their march at the Thomas Sankara memorial, a tribute to the former president and noted pan-Africanist. The prime ministers of Mali and Burkina Faso said last month they would examine the idea of creating a federation. It is not clear exactly what that would entail. The two countries share a long border and face similar challenges.…
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Mali sentences 46 Ivorian soldiers to 20 years for conspiring against government

Mali sentences 46 Ivorian soldiers to 20 years for conspiring against government

A court in Mali sentenced 46 soldiers from Ivory Coast to 20 years imprisonment for conspiring against the government, and three others to death in absentia. Forty-nine Ivorian soldiers were arrested at the airport in Mali's capital Bamako in July, three of whom were later released. Their arrests led to a diplomatic dispute between the neighbouring countries and widespread condemnation from regional allies. Mali's ruling junta said the soldiers were acting as mercenaries, while Ivory Coast said they were part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission. They were charged with attempting to undermine state security in August and convicted at…
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Militants attack Mali’s main military base, situation ‘under control’

Militants attack Mali’s main military base, situation ‘under control’

FADIMATA KONTAO ISLAMIST militants struck Mali's main military base, just outside the capital Bamako, in a complex attack involving car bombs, but the armed forces said they had repelled the assault and had the situation under control. Militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have repeatedly raided bases across Mali during a decade-long insurgency concentrated in the north and centre but never so close to Bamako in the south. Heavy gunfire rang out for about an hour early on Friday at the Kati camp, about 15 km (10 miles) northwest of Bamako. A convoy carrying the leader of Mali's…
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Mali leader unharmed in knife attack

Mali leader unharmed in knife attack

TIEMOKO DIALLO and PAUL LORGERIE MALI’S interim President Assimi Goita, a special forces colonel who orchestrated two coups in the last year, said he escaped unharmed after an assailant attempted to stab him during prayers at a mosque in the capital Bamako. The president's office earlier said the attacker was overpowered by security officers, and investigations into the incident were ongoing. Mali, the theatre of French-supported operations against al-Qaeda and Islamic State-linked insurgents for a decade, was thrown into political turmoil after a military junta led by Goita toppled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020. Goita served as vice-president…
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Malian police disperse protest against French military presence

Malian police disperse protest against French military presence

MALIAN security forces used tear gas to disperse an unsanctioned protest in the capital Bamako against France's military presence in the country, one of the rally's organisers said. France has more than 5,100 military personnel based in Mali and the West African Sahel region to help counter militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, an involvement that is facing increased opposition at home and in Mali. Malian authorities, who have denounced those opposed to the French military presence, deployed police in riot gear to block around 1,000 protesters from gathering in Bamako's Independence Square, said organiser Adama Diarra. "We…
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French aid worker describes years in captivity in Mali desert

French aid worker describes years in captivity in Mali desert

PAUL LORGERIE AT one point during her four years in the hands of jihadist militants in northern Mali, French aid worker Sophie Petronin said she felt like giving up hope. She wandered into the desert, sat on the ground in the baking sun and wept. The 75-year old, who ran a charity for malnourished and orphaned children when she was kidnapped near the desert city of Gao in late 2016, was one of four hostages released and flown to the capital Bamako late on Thursday. She said snippets of news from home had provided comfort while in captivity and that…
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Mali announces new government following August coup

Mali announces new government following August coup

MALI has announced a new government, with some of the top posts going to military officials following a coup on August 18 that deposed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The ministries of defence, territorial administration, security and national reconciliation will be headed by military personnel, as Mali begins an 18-month transition back to civilian rule, the presidency said in an announcement read out on state television. Civilians will hold 21 other posts. It is not rare for military personnel to hold government posts in Mali, and they did so also under Keita, but the issue has become more sensitive since the coup…
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