Planned actions included a five-day walkout by Food & Events Africa employees starting Sept. 28 tied to overtime and additional grievances, plus distinct four-day strikes threatened at Somilo SA and Gounkoto SA centered on overtime pay, repayment of mission-related costs, and enforcement of labor accords. After talks that brought together unions from the Loulo-Gounkoto operation and Food & Events Africa, UNTM's Abdoulaye Coulibaly said there is now an agreement and "The strike threat has been resolved," heading off the planned walkouts.
The Loulo-Gounkoto mine cluster sits close to Senegal's border and has been a focal point of tensions with Mali's ruling junta ever since 2023, when a new mining code was rolled out to increase the government's share of industry revenues. Frictions intensified in 2024 and 2025 as authorities arrested Barrick employees, sought alleged unpaid dues running into the hundreds of millions of dollars, and seized roughly three tons of the company's gold. Reached by email, a Barrick spokesperson said the company had no comment.
Toronto-based Barrick halted operations in January 2025 and filed for international arbitration. Following months of fruitless talks, Mali put Loulo-Gounkoto under temporary state management in June 2025. A settlement in November ended the legal fight and returned operational control to the company. Since then, Barrick has restarted the complex and stated that output reached roughly 190,000 ounces during the first half of 2026.
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For your wallet, fewer disruptions at one of Africa's key gold hubs can help steady output and reduce uncertainty around a major producer's operations. It is the kind of headline that can ripple into gold sentiment and local supply expectations, even if prices still dance to interest rates and the dollar.
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