“Don’t Listen to TikTok, Facebook and AI”: The Secrets of Gold Mining in Siguiri Revealed to Diplomats

Guinea’s foreign minister, Dr Morissanda Kouyaté, defended the ban on illegal gold mining in Siguiri before the diplomatic corps on November 5, 2026. He condemned the environmental damage, citing excavated galleries, dead animals and cyanide poisoning risks, and linked the ban to protecting forests and waterways and preserving the credibility of the Simandou 2040 project. He said that among the thousands of miners arrested were 409 Burkinabè and 66 Malians, and that detainees had been formally handed over to their consular authorities. Kouyaté also urged caution about accounts circulating on social media.