Mali: Director of Australian gold company arrested

Authorities in Mali have arrested the chief executive and two other employees of Australian gold mining company Resolute Mining while they were visiting the country to discuss an unspecified dispute, the company said Monday.

The three people, including managing director Terence Holohan , were arrested last Friday in Bamako, the capital of Mali .

In a statement on Resolute Mining 's website , Andrew Wray, the company's non-executive chairman, said the three officials had been "unexpectedly detained" after a discussion about "claims made against" the company, without giving further details.

No information was given as to why the three people were still being held three days later.

The Australian company has been working for years on the Syama gold mine in Mali, a large-scale operation located in the southwest of the country. It owns 80% of the mine, while the remaining 20% ​​is held by the Malian government.

The arrest is the latest controversy in Mali's crucial, foreign-dominated mining sector, which has come under increasing scrutiny from military authorities. In September, four employees of Canadian company Barrick Gold were also detained for several days.

Resolute Mining said the allegations against it were "unfounded" and that it had followed due process in conducting its business in Mali. It is receiving assistance from foreign embassies, including the UK .

The company is among the foreign firms that have for years dominated the mining sector in Mali, one of Africa's leading gold producers, which has for many years faced jihadist violence and high levels of poverty and famine.

Companies are facing increasing pressure from the military, which seized power in 2020 and is seeking to shore up revenues from the mining sector.