10 killed in clashes in Guinea after artisanal mining ban

CONAKRY, Nov 13 - Ten people were killed in violent clashes with defence and security forces in a gold-producing region in northeastern Guinea, the country's Ministry of Territorial Administration said in a statement.

• Guinea banned artisanal gold mining in Siguiri on November 2. Authorities said artisanal miners' failure to comply with regulations had led to environmental degradation including pollution of agricultural land, rivers and vegetation cover

• The ministry said late on Thursday that clashes occurred on Wednesday, when defence and security forces were verifying the implementation of the ban

• The situation escalated and shots were exchanged after protesters erected barricades on public roads, the statement said

• Ten people, including five foreign nationals, died in the clashes and 13 were injured, according to the ministry's provisional figures. It did not specify the nationalities of the foreigners

• Neighboring Mali said last week that around 100,000 people had arrived in the capital Bamako and nearly 60,000 more in the border town of Kouremale after they were forced to leave Guinea when the ban on artisanal mining was announced

• Burkina Faso said on Friday it had repatriated 45,406 of its citizens, who were forced to leave Guinea as a result of the ban

• Artisanal mining, driven by growing demand for metals and rising prices, is a common activity across much of West Africa REUTERS