Guinea expels 15,000 gold miners, a ticking time bomb threatening Senegal

Thousands of miners have left Siguiri, Guinea, following measures announced by Conakry on November 2 to curb illegal gold mining. The figures remain uncertain: Mali cites 15,000 people facing repatriation and another 60,000 stranded in Kourémalé, while one media outlet reports more than 100,000 expulsions. Mali and Burkina Faso are the first countries affected, but Senegal could feel the consequences in Kédougou, a border region already troubled by illegal mining. On August 22, 2026, Senegalese forces arrested 40 miners there: 16 Malians, 11 Burkinabè, nine Guineans and four Senegalese.