PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Gold miner West African Resources (WAF) is hopeful that the political unrest in Burkina Faso will be resolved.
Speaking on the first day of Paydirt’s Africa Downunder conference, WAF GM for sustainability Mirey Lopez said that to date, the company’s projects had remained unaffected by security incidents in the region, and that there had been no interruptions to production.
“There have been some security challenges in the north and the eastern portions of the country, which the government has been very active on recently. The government has recruited and trained 5 000 troops and more than 550 000 voluntary Defence Force. The government has been very active as well in the border regions with Mali and Niger, and we remain optimistic that the situation will improve,” Lopez said.
As recently as Monday, some 53 soldiers and volunteers were killed in clashes with rebels in the northern Yatenga province, and conflict analysts have suggested that nearly half of the country remains outside of government control, Aljazeera reported.
Burkina Faso saw two military coups last year.
WAF operates the Sanbrado gold mine, some 90 km outside of Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, where the miner is expected to produce 210 000 oz to 230 000 oz in 2023.
The company is also developing the $430-million Kiaka gold project, some 45 km from Sanbrado, which will deliver around 220 000 oz/y over a mine life of 19 years.
Despite the political unrest in the country, Lopez said the project remains within budget and on time for first production in mid-2025.