Via: Sputnik

“The alliance with Russia does not prevent Mali from engaging with other countries, but it always prioritizes its core interests, geopolitics expert Oumar MC Koné told Sputnik Africa following the meeting between the leaders of the two countries in Moscow.

Referring to the signing of a Russian-Malian cooperation agreement on civil nuclear power, he considered it “a good opportunity for the Malian people.”

The Malian expert believes that Mali’s energy crisis can be addressed through the establishment of peaceful nuclear facilities in the country.

According to him, discussions between Moscow and Bamako should also focus on:

Enhancing Malian military capabilities, including equipment and training;

Developing clear defense strategies and good neighborly relations with friendly countries.

Since 2021, Russian support has significantly strengthened the Malian army, leading to the successful reclaiming of the Kidal region, Koné noted.”

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Via: Reuters

“Canada’s Barrick Mining (ABX.TO), opens new tab had its Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex in Mali placed under state control by a court on Monday in a major escalation of a dispute over taxes and ownership.
A former Malian health minister, Soumana Makadji, will take over as provisional administrator for six months, the presiding judge said.
Barrick said it will appeal the decision.
The move follows actions by the Malian government to block gold exports and seize gold stocks held by Barrick’s subsidiaries.
Barrick in a statement said it believes those actions, which led to the temporary suspension of its operations, were unjustified.
‘Justice was neither heard, nor served,’ Issaka Keita, one of Barrick’s lawyers, told Reuters. The Loulo-Gounkoto complex, which accounted for 14% of the company’s output, has been suspended since January amid a standoff between the company and the government over taxes and ownership.
The government, a shareholder in the mining complex, in May asked the Bamako Commercial Court to appoint an administrator, signalling its desire to reopen the complex amid record-high global gold prices.
[…]
Outside of court, negotiations between the two sides continue. Mali has agreed to allow Barrick to repatriate 20% of its earnings into an international bank account, an exception that was not made for other foreign miners, two people familiar with the matter said.”

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Via: Africanews

“At least 20 people have been killed during simultaneous attacks by unidentified gunmen on several communities in Nigeria’s north-central Benue state, police said on Tuesday.

The attacks occurred late Sunday in communities within the Gwer West and Apa areas, said Udeme Edet, spokesperson for the Benue police.

Edet, spokesperson for the Benue police, said 12 people were killed in Apa and 10 in Gwer West, but local reports suggest the death toll may exceed 30. Five people who survived the attacks are currently receiving medical treatment in a local hospital, she added.

The Gwer West and Apa areas of Benue state have witnessed an uptick in attacks in recent months. Last week, gunmen killed at least 20 people in an attack on the village of Aondona, in Gwer West.

While it remains unclear who was responsible for the killings, such attacks are common in Nigeria’s northern region, where local herders and farmers often clash over limited access to land and water.

The farmers accuse the herders, mostly of Fulani origin, of grazing their livestock on their farms and destroying crops. The herders insist that the farms are on grazing routes that were first backed by law in 1965, five years after the country gained its independence.”.

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