ABUJA – General Michael Langley, head of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) during a U.S. Senate hearing, accused Captain Ibrahim Traore, President of Burkina Faso, of “using the country’s gold reserves for personal protection rather than for the benefit of its people.”
Burkina Faso is one of Africa’s largest gold producers, but also has copper, zinc, manganese, and phosphates.
The government through Captain Traore nationalise several gold mines at a cost of about U.S. $80 million. The Boungou and Wahgnion mines were also sold last year by London-listed Endeavour Mining to Lilium Mining for U.S. $300 million.
On August 27, the mines were purchased by Burkina Faso’s government for a fraction of this cost, the government also built a gold refinery to process its gold rather than taking it to the West.
Today, the US government and its ally France who are eager to take over the country’s resources are accusing Burkina Faso leader for using its gold for protection.
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