Côte d’Ivoire targets illegal gold mining with new six-month crackdown

The National Security Council (CNS) of Côte d’Ivoire has announced a new, large-scale strategy to combat illegal gold mining, setting a six-month deadline to significantly curb or eradicate the practice. Following a national workshop in Yamoussoukro, the government is shifting toward a more coordinated and permanent approach that emphasizes intelligence, surveillance, prevention, and repression.

The new architecture places regional prefects at the forefront, tasking them with coordinating administrative bodies, security forces, and local authorities. The strategy aims to dismantle criminal networks, including financiers and organizers, rather than just targeting individual miners. This move follows previous warnings from the Minister of Mines, Petroleum, and Energy, Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly, regarding the environmental damage to soil, forests, and waterways caused by clandestine activities.

Ten priority actions have been identified, focusing on three main pillars: intelligence and surveillance, governance and coordination, and sanctions. The goal is to prevent the re-occupation of sites once they have been cleared by security forces.