mining

ADF STAFF Since the notorious Russian mercenary outfit formerly known as the Wagner Group began reorganizing under the control of the Russian Defense Ministry in 2023, controlling gold mining sites in Mali has been a priority. Russian…

ADF STAFF Thousands of civilians in northern Mali have fled their homes in recent months, running from what they call systematic attacks by Russian mercenaries and Malian soldiers. Malian researcher Mohamed Issouf Ag Mohamed and professor…

ADF STAFF Illegal gold mining is a growing problem in Nigeria that is benefiting terrorist groups, causing violence and increasing pollution. Residents of mining areas blame Chinese nationals who set up and oversee mining and refining…

ADF STAFF On the surface, Diamville SAU is a Central African company working in the diamond trade. But Diamville is more than that: It’s the front for a Russian operation selling diamonds from the Central African Republic to finance…

ADF STAFF  |  Photos by REUTERS Over the past decade, Sudan has become the third-largest producer of gold in Africa. The industry gained momentum after the secession of South Sudan in 2011 when the country turned to mining to compensate…

ADF STAFF Ahmed was crossing Mali in an attempt to reach Europe when he was waylaid by extremists and forced to work in one of the country’s artisanal gold mines. “We’ve been here for a year,” he told Al Jazeera. “My brother has been here…

ADF STAFF Chinese national En “Aisha” Huang is well known in Ghana as the “Galamsey Queen,” a nickname bestowed by the local media to describe her status as a kingpin of illegal gold mining operations. Her arrest and recent sentencing are…

ADF STAFF Kibsa Ouedraogo is chief of Noaka, a community in north-central Burkina Faso that is surrounded by artisanal gold mines that have become magnets for terrorists. “The terrorists hear that this site or that one is thriving with…

ADF STAFF The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is home to some of the world’s most sought-after minerals. Four-fifths of the world’s cobalt, a critical component in batteries used in electric vehicles and electronic devices, is in…

ADF STAFF Yevgeny Prigozhin built a violent and profitable mercenary network over the past five years in the Central African Republic (CAR), Libya, Mali and Sudan. His last days before his death in a plane crash on August 23 were spent in…