Burkina Faso/Mali - Gold traders cast in uncertainty as jihadist threat looms

After the coups in Mali and Burkina Faso, industrial groups withdrew, leaving room for some major Malian traders to expand into the gold business. From the Sahel to the United Arab Emirates, Africa Intelligence reports on how these networks operate and how their activities are threatened by jihadist groups.

« After the coups in Mali and Burkina Faso, industrial groups withdrew leaving room for some major Malian traders to expand into the gold business. From the Sahel to the United Arab Emirates, Africa Intelligence reveals the workings of their operations, which are threatened by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), tied to Al-Qaeda. »

The Bamako area’s security deterioration has prompted the French military command to outline plans for repatriating French citizens, though substantial hurdles remain. Concurrently, an international brokers’ organization is attempting to unload large arsenals of light weapons as it operates under close scrutiny among African military leaders.

From the United Arab Emirates to Serbia and Turkey, efforts are underway to expand activities while maintaining a low profile. With declining Russian support, the junta in power finds itself more isolated as the GSIM and its allies push to advance their political agenda, aiming to destabilize governments by leveraging the region’s evolving security dynamics.

Gold mining has increasingly become a vital yet volatile pillar of Burkina Faso’s economy, attracting militant groups who exploit mining areas where state presence is weak. The sector’s profitability provides substantial funding for jihadists and other armed movements, complicating governance and security efforts in the Sahel.

Gold smuggling networks connect Burkina Faso’s mines to international markets, including Dubai and other destinations, enabling illicit revenue flows that sustain militant activity. Attacks on mining centers, such as the 2021 strikes in Solhan, underscore the human cost of the gold sector’s entanglement with conflict financing and regional instability.

Analysts warn that continued exploitation of gold resources by illicit networks could fuel further violence, prompting spillover risks to neighboring countries like Ghana and Mauritania and heightening regional insecurity across West Africa.

Author’s summary: The intertwined rise of Mali and Burkina Faso’s gold trade with jihadist financing reshapes regional security, as illicit mining networks expand under reduced state presence, threatening stability across the Sahel and beyond.

Africa Intelligence — 2025-11-17

More News