Burkina Faso Vows Reintegration for 37,000 Miners Expelled from Guinea

Thousands of Burkinabè gold miners expelled from Guinea over illegal mining activities are returning home, and the government says it will help them rebuild.

After a long journey back routed through Mali the returnees reached the transit hub of Bobo-Dioulasso before heading to their communities. As of 11 November, more than 37,000 Burkinabè nationals, including some 8,000 children, had been repatriated from Guinea, according to the National Council for Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation (CONASUR) .

Stripping us of our belongings is unacceptable

The expulsion was traumatic for many. "We do not object to being expelled, but stripping us of our belongings is unacceptable," Burkinabè gold miner Omar Bandé told Africanews. "Not only were we expelled, but our gold and money were also taken away. Some of their own citizens lost their lives in the process. We were not given any prior warning. They simply came and gave us a 24-hour ultimatum" .

Guinea's junta deployed security forces to stamp out illegal artisanal gold mining in the Siguiri region, citing environmental damage such as land degradation and water pollution. More than 1,200 suspected illegal miners have been arrested, and mass trials opened in Conakry this week .

A fresh start with government support

Despite the hardship, many returnees are looking forward. "Once we return to our communities, some of us could join the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland, while others could take up livestock farming," Bandé said. "We are therefore asking the authorities to support us in these efforts" .

The Burkinabè government has announced plans to provide access to education, vocational training and professional reintegration programmes. Ousmane Kindo, president of the Civic Monitoring Movement in Bobo-Dioulasso, welcomed the measures: "Our authorities' vision is for young people to be trained in skilled trades. For our compatriots returning home, this is an opportunity to acquire practical skills so that we can contribute to the development of our country" .

The government has also mobilised convoys 153 buses and 44 trucks across five convoys to bring citizens back from regrouping zones in Mali, with the support of Malian authorities .