Senegalese authorities have dismantled 66 illegal gold mining sites in the eastern regions of Kédougou and Tambacounda over the past year, as part of efforts to combat environmental degradation and gold smuggling.
The crackdown follows the enforcement of Decree No. 2024-1402, which bans mining within 500 meters of the Falémé River. During a visit to Saraya on June 24, Interior Minister General Jean-Baptiste Tine highlighted the severe ecological damage caused by traditional gold mining and urged for stricter control measures and enhanced surveillance capabilities, including the deployment of aerial monitoring by the Gendarmerie.
Operation Orientale 1, led by Military Zone No. 4, intensified interventions in border towns such as Bougouda, Bantanko, and Moussala, resulting in the dismantling of 43 more sites in May alone.
Authorities arrested 47 individuals and seized 77 motor pumps, motorcycles, and generators. Despite the extractive sector generating over 236 billion CFA francs in the first half of 2024, with gold accounting for 137 billion CFA francs in exports, concerns persist over illegal exports—SWISSAID reports that up to 41 tons of gold may have been smuggled out of Senegal between 2013 and 2022.
The government now considers the fight against illegal mining in eastern Senegal a national priority, calling for expanded interdiction zones and improved monitoring technologies.
