As it fueled the conflict in the Sahel West African region

It was a good year for gold. Many violent events in the world economy increased the prices for brilliant goods for recording highs in 2025.

In the world of tariffs and international gold conflicts, investors refer to one of the few stable assets. Everyone wants stocks: from central banks to large institutions such as hedge fonds, and retail. But few people know where their gold comes from, or much about the conflicts he can incite in the countries where it is extracted.

For the governments of the Sahel West Africa, the rates are even higher. Gold is a rescue circle for military races from Burkin -fos, Mali and Niger, which are subjected to riots of jihadists, regional isolation and devastating climate change.

“Because the prices of gold were at the historical high … Military governments hope that they will be able to benefit directly,” BBC said Bverley Ochieng, a senior researcher at the World Advisory Firm.

According to the World Council of World Council, three Sahel states produce about 230 tons of gold a year, or about $ 15 billion ($ 11 billion) at the current market rate.

The lack of records for artisanal and small production of gold means that this figure is probably underestimated.

The combined production of gold in these three states is superior to any other country in Africa, making the Sahel region the main world participant in gold.

Governments point out that the revenue from the profitable sector benefits citizens by increasing “sovereignty” – although Russian firms increase their share in the field of Western firms.

For example, the leader of the Junta Mali Gen Assimi Goita Laid the foundation stone last month for the Golden Oil RefineryIn which the Russian conglomerate, the nuclean group will have a minority share. Reference is reported to create 500 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs.

Burkina Faso also builds its first in the history of the Golden Oil Refinery and created a state mining company, requiring foreign firms to give it 15% of shares in local operations and pass the skills to Burkinab people.

AI’s counterfeit media were even started to celebrate the charismatic 37-year-old military Uladzka in the country, Captain Ibrah Trarow for the team of such an important revenue flow for the nation.

“The production of gold from the deepest dirt. But the souls are rich and true,” in one recent song that performed with Ah-ah-Genno, poured it silky, autonomous praise CAPT Traoré.

According to Ms. Ochien, the reality is very different, which explained that Burkina -fos and his neighbors need quick cash to finance confrontations.

In the case of Mali, most of this was handed over to Russian mercenaries, including the Wagner group and its successor to the African Corps, which is subject to the command of the Russian Defense Ministry.

The African corps participates in military training in Burkin -Faso, but the junta officially denies its presence.

Despite the fact that the transparency of state expenses in the countries is poor, it is believed that governments devote much to national security budgets.

Mali’s military expenses from 2010 amounted to 22% of the national budget by 2020.

Governments fight the groups of jihadists related to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS).

But the company Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Maliya government and a Wagner group of brutality against civilians, including illegal killings, consolidated shootings and torture.

He recorded similar atrocities of Burkin -fos and his union militias.

According to its services, the Wagner group and now the African Corps are often paid directly to gold or in the concession, according to Alex guilty from the London Analytical Center Chatham House.

“Very little (from gold revenue) will squeeze Mali and Burkinab,” he said, adding that the armed rebels themselves can use gold.

Ever since a coup in Mali in 2021, a tough government tactic for communities suspected or condolences to jihadists has increased, pushing more civilians to join the same groups with which they fight.

Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam Wall-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda branch, which is the most active group of jihadists in the region, has arranged an unprecedented number of attacks aimed at the military Berkina Faso during the first half of 2025, a sign of the group’s growth.

Armed groups are also literally earned by enhanced world appetite for gold.

A large proportion of gold production in Sahel is from a artisanal and small sector, which is often informal, that is, this happens in unlicensed and incomplete places from the supervision of the government, According to a 2023 report on gold mining In Saheli with the help of the UN for drugs and crime (UNODC).

Armed groups, including jihadist groups, and the Sahel governments, are fighting the control of many of these small gold mines.

Gold provides an important flow of income for militants, which appear to expand their territorial influence in both Mali and Burkin -fas.

UNODC believes that most gold of this type of mining ends in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the World Center for Gold Processing and Trade.

“You see the overlapping of rigid extremist groups moving to artisanal production zones for control,” said D -Vin.

The world splash of gold prices can be a prevailing and strengthening of the conflict in Sahel – but unfortunately for diggers in artisanal gold mines, this did not lead to the owners.

One miner of gold in the northern region of Mali Kid agreed to answer the BBC written questions subject to anonymity for fear of his safety.

He estimated that he earns 10,000 to 20,000 CFA francs in the “good day” or about $ 18 to $ 36 (13 to 26 pounds).

According to him, the amount he is paid did not increase with the global prices for gold.

“Prices have risen, but the extra income goes to my owners … It is risky and uncertain, but for many of us this is the only option,” he added.

D -R Vines, which previously worked as an investigator at the UN, is concerned that gold has become a new major conflict between Africa.

He noted that gold did not receive the same international attention as the diamonds that fueled the bloodshed in several African states during the 20th century, especially in the 1990s.

The intervention of human rights groups and the UN has led to the creation of the Scheme Certification in 2003, which has done a lot to stop the sale of so -called “bloody diamonds” in the open market.

But attempts to crack “blood gold” were less successful.

This is partly due to the lack of uniform ethical standards. The London Association of the Bulls Market (LBMA), the major power in the gold market, requires the refinery to fulfill the standards based on the recommendations set by the global body, the organization of economic cooperation and development (OED).

The application of these UAE rules was historically spotted.

In 2021, the country announced its own ethical gold standards – however, the frames remain voluntary. The compulsion problem caused tension in the past between the Gulf state and LBMA.

The seizure technology is another obstacle.

“There is no” DNA testing “on gold. With great effort you can trace the diamonds before they are sanded and carved … But I have not seen ways to trace the origin of the golden nugget,” said D -Vine.

Gold is early the muzzle in the value of the values, which makes it almost impossible to trace and connect to the potential conflict zones, he explained.

D -V Vines believes that it is likely that some gold in Sahel ends in the UK markets.

“(Gold) Crying (The) of the UAE, and then goes to the production of jewelry, or into dentistry or bullion. Some of them are clearly entering the UK. And as soon as it is here, there is no way to check out what it is.”

Another reason that it will be difficult to repeat the successes of the Kimberly process process, according to Dr. Vinz, is that the certification system has not been developed to combat the state governments.

“Kimberley was designed to combat armed non-governmental entities in places such as Sierra Leone and Liberia,” he said.

Today, the value of gold for the Sahel governments and the clumsy performance of ethical gold standards means that the product will probably continue to change hands, regardless of its origin.

Unfortunately for some communities in Saheli, this may mean blood trading.