Mali wins $160m in mining dispute after detaining boss of Australia’s Resolute

It is is seeking to extract a greater share of income from foreign operators in the sector.

It is not yet clear when the three Resolute employees will be released.

Part of the conditions for their release were that they must sign the memorandum of understanding and complete the initial payment, according to a report by the French broadcaster RFI.

Mali’s military rulers detained the three Resolute executives on charges of forgery and damaging public property, seen as an attempt to blackmail the Australian company amid an ongoing state crackdown on foreign – mostly Western – mining companies in the West African country.

Since taking power in a coup in 2021, Mali’s junta has sought to reconfigure its political and trade relationships with international partners.

Last year, President Col Assimi Goïta signed into law a new mining code increasing the maximum stake for state and local investors from 20% to 35%.

Additional reporting by Natasha Booty