Three executives from the Australian mining company Resolute, which operates a gold mine in Mali, were detained on November 8 by Malian authorities on charges of forgery and damage to public property, according to the privately owned aBamako website.

Three executives from the Australian mining company Resolute, which operates a gold mine in Mali, were detained on November 8 by Malian authorities on charges of forgery and damage to public property, according to the privately owned aBamako website.

The arrests are part of what appears to be increased scrutiny by the Malian military junta, which has governed since a 2020 coup and is closely monitoring foreign mining companies due to the high revenues the industry generates. Resolute stated that its executives were in Mali’s capital, Bamako, to address concerns raised by authorities regarding the company’s operations, which Resolute asserts are unfounded.

Despite completing meetings with officials, the executives were unexpectedly detained afterward. This marks the second recent incident of foreign mining employees being detained in Mali. Previously, in October, Malian authorities also threatened legal action against Canadian mining company Barrick Gold over alleged breaches of contract.