“Among the expelled gold miners are Ivorians, Sudanese, Malians and Burkinabè” (Kourouma)

Guinean MP Abdoulaye Kourouma says the ban on anarchic gold mining in the Siguiri region affects people of all nationalities, including Ivorians, Sudanese, Malians, Burkinabè and Guineans. He describes it as a sovereign administrative decision, not a targeting of Burkinabè, and notes that 22 territorial administrators and more than 470 neighborhood and district chiefs were dismissed. Kourouma says he spoke with Burkina Faso’s foreign minister, who understood the decision, and accuses bloggers of inflaming tensions. He also praises President Mamadi Doumbouya and says Guinea remains welcoming to Africans.