Madar (Bamako) - Malian Prime Minister Gen. Abdoulaye Maiga visited Kouremale, on the border with Guinea, on Sunday, 8 November 2026. The area is the transit zone for people turned back from gold-mining sites in Guinea, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's communication unit.
Accompanied by members of the government and the National Transitional Council (CNT), he assessed the situation and the arrangements for reception, security, assistance and returns. The Ministry of Health and Social Development and the Food Security Commission handed over rice, pasta, sugar, cooking oil, 4 oxen and medicines worth 7 million CFA francs, and set up an equipped advanced health post.
On behalf of the Transition President, the prime minister praised Malians for their hospitality and solidarity towards the gold miners, saying Mali "respects Guinea's sovereign decision". He called on people to stay mobilised and vigilant, and appealed to truck owners to contribute to the support operation.
In a statement on Sunday, the Crisis Coordination and Management Centre (CECOGEC) said Mali deployed 63 trucks and 39 buses on Saturday, 7 November, to carry about 14,000 people to Burkina Faso, while 48 Burkinabe buses brought back nearly 3,000 more. Returns continued on Sunday with 54 trucks and 24 buses from Mali and 38 coaches from Burkina Faso.
According to CECOGEC, flows to Bamako were broadly stable compared with the previous day, and arrivals at Kouremale were falling. About 5,000 people were reported in the Bougouni region (Yanfolila, Selingue and Kalana), 500 in the Kita region and 400 in the Kayes region, mainly in Kenieba. Some 232 people were moved from Kenieba to Bamako, and 760 medical consultations were carried out in the capital's health facilities.
The centre asked donors to coordinate with the relevant technical services. Malian authorities had earlier reported nearly 160,000 people registered between Bamako and Kouremale, after Guinea banned unregulated gold mining in the Siguiri area.
