Russia's exploitation of African gold fuels war effort
Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has exported gold worth £2 billion from Africa. According to the World Gold Council's report, the money obtained this way supports the Kremlin's war machine.
Russia acquires gold from small artisanal mines in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Guinea, Libya, Mali, and Sudan.
"The mysterious death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, in a plane crash in August 2023, has not stopped the plunder and looting of natural resources by Russia worldwide—from Libya to the Central African Republic. Instead, the Kremlin has seized the moment to regain control over these profitable ventures," wrote the authors of the report "Silence is Golden."
Gold from Africa is smuggled to countries in the Middle East, mainly the United Arab Emirates, where it is refined and mixed with legally obtained metal. It is sold in Dubai and subsequently reaches markets worldwide. Profits from these transactions are channelled to Russia.
"On the battlefields of Ukraine, as the fight for control over territory hangs by a thread, it is noteworthy how minimal the political will has been to stop the illegal flow of profits from gold resource exploitation in Africa to the Russian war machine," noted the World Gold Council (WGC) report.
"Russia's blood gold"
The Kremlin most exploits Mali, the Central African Republic, and Sudan. "It is in these countries that the trade in Russia's blood gold has really picked up lately," Jessica Berlin, co-author of another report on the use of gold for waging wars, told American broadcaster NPR.
Just a few days ago, as a warning, they robbed and brutally murdered a local gold and diamond trader. They placed the severed head between the legs of the deceased, and photos of the ritualistically posed corpse were published online.
Local media also reported the killing by Wagner Group mercenaries in June of this year of at least 20 gold miners in small mines in Koki, in the Ouham prefecture. Following the massacre, they gathered the villagers and declared that anyone mining gold without their permission would be executed.
In Burkina Faso, the military junta has granted the Russian company Nordgold licences to exploit four of the largest gold mines. In Mali, following a military coup, mercenaries took over the largest mine in Intahaka in the Gao region. Russia is also enhancing cooperation with Mali in extracting oil, gas, uranium, and lithium.
Sanctions aren't working
Nordgold, owned by Alexei Mordashov, also mines gold in Guinea, which is ruled by a military junta led by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, who is attempting to balance between Russia and the West. The Russian mining company has been exploiting one of the country's largest gold mines in Lefa for a decade.
The increased access of Russia to mining in Africa, particularly to gold deposits, not only enables Moscow to finance the war in Ukraine but also strengthens its economy and mitigates the effects of Western sanctions imposed on it.
