A new tragedy has cast a shadow over safety in Mali’s artisanal mining sector.
Nine people, all foreign nationals, died in the collapse of a gold well in NTahaka, in the Gao district, on the night of March 16-17, 2025. The collapse occurred while the victims were engaged in gold
panning in a deep and unstable well, dug without any safety measures.
Emergency personnel alerted by other gold miners were only able to observe the extent of the damage. The bodies were extracted after an operation lasting several hours. There were no survivors.
Local authorities have opened an investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the tragedy. This latest disaster comes amid an already tense situation, marked by a series of fatal accidents at
informal gold mining sites.
On February 15, a massive collapse in Bilalikoto, in the Kenieba district, caused the deaths of 65 gold
miners.
Two weeks earlier, on January 29, another accident occurred in Kangaba, in the southwest of the country, with an equally high human toll. These tragedies are caused by a combination of factors: soil instability, uncontrolled digging without support, lack of administrative oversight, overcrowding in the galleries, and mining operations not governed by minimum safety standards. Rainfall and
water infiltration also contribute to weakening the already precarious structures.
The recurrence of these accidents has prompted a firm response from the Malian government. At the Council of Ministers on March 5, 2025, the head of the transition, Colonel Assimi Goïta, ordered a series of exceptional measures. Several administrative and security officials were dismissed, including prefects, sub-prefects, law enforcement officers, as well as executives from the regional mining and environmental services. The government criticises them for their laxity in supervising sites that have become uncontrollable, particularly in Kéniéba.
The same Council decided to immediately suspend artisanal mining permits issued to foreign nationals, with the aim of better regulating the activity and curbing illegal mining in sensitive areas such as the Kenieba circle. A new measure has been introduced into national regulations: equipment seized from unauthorised sites will now be permanently confiscated and incorporated into state property. No restitution will be permitted, even by court order. This provision aims to combat repeat offenses in areas where miners often return to the same sites after temporary seizures.
Furthermore, the government announced the initiation of proceedings to dissolve the Djaba
municipal council, in the Kenieba district, due to its perceived deficiencies in managing local mining sites.
These decisions mark a turning point in the national strategy to combat uncontrolled gold mining. The government has indicated its intention to strengthen the state’s presence at gold mining sites
while preparing a broader reform of the legal framework governing the sector. The Ministry of Mines has been tasked with proposing a new text that takes into account safety, environmental, and tax imperatives.
Mali is currently the third-largest gold producer in Africa, after South Africa and Ghana. Gold accounts for over 70 percent of the country’s export revenue.
However, a significant portion of this production remains outside the formal sector. According to figures from the Ministry of Mines, nearly 500,000 people, including many Burkinabe, Guinean, and Ivorian nationals, work in artisanal gold mining across the country. Most operate in extremely precarious conditions, without protective equipment, and often outside any institutional framework.
This sector, both vital to the rural economy and potentially dangerous, remains one of the most difficult to regulate.
With the collapse of NTahaka, pressure is increasing on the authorities to act quickly. The disciplinary and regulatory measures taken in early March appear to be a first step, but significant
structural challenges remain.
In many regions, government services struggle to exercise their authority due to a lack of resources, local corruption, or insecurity.
MD/ac/fss/as/APA