China and Ghana Agree to Crack Down on Illegal Gold Mining

 Intellinews published on 14 September 2026 an article titled "Ghana, China Expand Mining Cooperation as Accra Targets Illegal Gold Mining."

Ghana and China have agreed to strengthen oversight of Chinese mining companies operating in Ghana and deepen geological cooperation as Accra intensifies its campaign against illegal gold mining. Chinese groups have a significant presence in Ghana's gold industry.  The new arrangement is intended to strengthen enforcement against illegal mining, locally known as galamsey, and even permit Chinese authorities to take action against Chinese nationals found to have breached Ghanaian mining laws. 

Illegal Gold Mining in Ghana and the Chinese Role

 The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 21 July 2026 an analysis titled "Ghana's Illegal Gold Mining Crisis: A National Security Threat with Regional Implications" by Edem Srem.

Ghana is experiencing an environmental crisis due to illegal, small-scale, and unregulated gold mining known locally as galamsey.  According to one account, an estimated 50,000 illegal Chinese miners are now operating in Ghana, supported by broader networks of financiers, equipment suppliers, transporters, intermediaries, and informal refiners.  Chinese operators and equipment have accelerated the mechanization of mining, which has led to an increase in environmental damage.  

Comment: The estimate of 50,000 Chinese miners in the country seems too high, but galamsey has been a long-standing irritant in Ghana-China relations.  

Russia Doubles Down in Africa's Sahel

 The Sentry published in April 2026 a study titled "Doubling Down: Russia's Military Network in West Africa."

Russia's Wagner Group withdrew from Mali in June 2025, largely handing over operations to the Kremlin-controlled Africa Corps, which has about the same number of troops as Wagner and many of them are former Wagner fighters.  Some core leadership also remains the same.

The Africa Corps has been moving a large quantity of weapons into Mali, which suggests that Russia is doubling down on Mali, despite the concurrent withdrawal and multiple failures of the Wagner Group.  

South Sudan's Illegal Gold Mining

 SwissAid published on 21 November 2025 a document titled "Africa Gold Report: South Sudan."

Gold mining in South Sudan, a medium-size gold producer by African standards, is highly informal and illegal.  Gold production is done exclusively by artisanal and small-scale mining methods.  All the gold is exported outside formal channels.  National and foreign armed groups are involved in its movement.  South Sudanese authorities have failed to govern the sector effectively.

Chinese Gold Miners Warned in Central African Republic

 The China-Africa Security Radar posted on 22 November 2025 an article titled "'Mining Slave' Warning in CAR Sparks Fierce Debate among Chinese Netizens."

The Chinese embassy in Bangui, Central African Republic, issued a strong warning about the dangers facing Chinese nationals involved in gold mining.  This led to a vigorous internet debate among Chinese netizens as to how to respond to the warning.  

Rebels Kidnap Two Chinese Gold Miners in Mali

 The Associated Press published on 12 May 2025 an article titled "Armed Group Mounts Double Attack on Artisanal Mining Site in Mali, Leaving 3 Dead and Abducting 2" by Baba Ahmed.  

An armed group, possibly associated with al-Qaeda, attacked a mining site in southern Mali on 12 May.  They kidnapped two Chinese nationals and burned their heavy machinery used in gold mining.

Gold Mining Finances Sudan's Civil War

 Agence France Presse published on 27 March 2025 an article titled "Sudan's Booming Wartime Gold Trade Flows Through the UAE."

Sudan's gold mining has become the lifeblood of the civil war, with nearly all of the trade channeled through the United Arab Emirates, enriching both the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.  The UAE denies its involvement in the gold trade.  

Russia's Wagner Group Mercenaries Conduct Terror Campaign in Mali

 The Washington Post published on 11 March 2025 an article titled "Russia's Wagner Mercenaries Are Leading a Campaign of Terror in Mali" by Rachel Chason and Sarah Cahlan.  

An estimated 1,500 Wagner Group mercenaries are fighting alongside Malian forces to defeat an al-Qaeda-affiliated organization.  In the process, the Wagner Group mercenaries are engaging in draconian practices that are driving ordinary Malians to neighboring Mauritania.  Malian refugees who have arrived in Mauritania since 2023 said it was attacks by Mali's military and its Russian allies--not Islamist militants--that made them flee.

The Malian government pays about $10 million a month for Wagner's services.  Russia has also been awarded concessions at several gold mines, giving it a material stake in Mali's security.  

Sudan Armed Forces Offers Excuses for Boycotting Peace Talks

 PBS Newshour posted on 16 August 2024 a transcript titled "Amid Brutal Civil War, Sudan's VP Defends Refusal to Participate in U.S.-Led Peace Talks" by Leila Molana-Allen.  

Sudan's Vice President Malik Agar explained in an interview why the Sudan Armed Forces has refused to send a delegation to the U.S.-Saudi brokered peace talks in Switzerland.  Agar accused its enemy, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, as a tool of the UAE, an observer at the talks.  Agar added the United States is not serious about peace talks and will lose interest after the election.

US Sanctions Deputy Head of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces

Reuters published on 6 September 2023 an article titled "US Targets Deputy Leader of Sudan's RSF Over Rights Abuses" by Michelle Nichols. 

The United States has sanctioned Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, deputy leader of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and brother of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, for serious human rights abuses in Sudan.  The charges stem from the ongoing atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan.  The financial sanctions may have minimal impact as the deputy leader likely has few, if any, financial ties to the United States.  

The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued the official announcement of the sanctions on 6 September 2023 titled "Treasury Sanctions Sudanese Paramilitary Leader."

Changes in Russia's Wagner Group Operations

 The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) published on 2 August 2023 a study titled "Moving Out of the Shadows: Shifts in Wagner Group Operations around the World."

Amid the overall growth in violent activities attributed to Russia's Wagner Group, the ACLED report examines the organization's military operations worldwide, with case studies analyzing key trends in the Central African Republic, Mali, and Ukraine.  The report also documents Wagner's role in violence against civilians, including attacks targeting specific civilian groups.

This analysis of Wagner operations reveals a mix of economic motivations influenced by their political connections with the Russian military, and a capacity for violence varying over time and by location.  

Wagner Group Future in Africa

 The Foreign Policy Research Institute published on 26 July 2023 an analysis titled "Wagner Mutiny Ex Post Facto: What's Next for Russia and Africa?" by Raphael Parens.

The Wagner Group's future in Africa will vary country by country.  It is well established in the Central African Republic, profitable, and likely to survive with or without Russian government support.  If it loses Russian government support, its agenda will become more limited in Mali, Burkina Faso, and especially Sudan.   

Washington Post Editorial on Russian Mercenaries in Africa

 The Washington Post published on 17 July 2023 an editorial titled "How to Tame the Russian Mercenaries Who Are Destabilizing Africa."

The Washington Post argues that the United States and its allies should redouble efforts to support peacekeeping missions in Africa--preferably through the African Union--by giving them the tools they need to fight their own wars and not have to rely on outside mercenaries.

Wagner Group Staying the Course in Africa, So Far

 The Guardian published on 6 July 2023 an article titled "'It Is Like a Virus that Spreads': Business as Usual for Wagner Group's Extensive Africa Network" by Jason Burke.

So far, the network of businesses and security protection offered by the Wagner Group in Libya, CAR, Mali, and Sudan is continuing uninterrupted.  The group's economic and political activities in Africa are important to Moscow but will likely be rebranded while Wagner's assets and systems continue.  

Mystery Over Chinese Miners Killed in Central African Republic

 The New York Times published on 15 May 2023 an article titled "Mysterious Killing of Chinese Gold Miners Puts New Pressure on Beijing" by Nicole Hong and Elian Peltier.

In March, gunmen targeted Chinese gold miners in the Central African Republic, killing nine of them.  The government of the CAR blamed a local rebel group called the Coalition of Patriots for Change, which denied the charge and claimed the Russian mercenary organization, Wagner Group, was responsible.  Chinese officials are still investigating the attack as China struggles to protect its nationals in remote and dangerous locations in Africa.

Sudan's Gold Helps Fund War

 El Pais published on 10 May 2023 an article titled "The Curse of Sudan's Gold: Why One of the World's Poorest Countries Fails to Profit from Vast Reserves" by Patricia R. Blanco.  

The article describes the role of gold in contributing to the funding of the current conflict in Sudan, especially the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.  

Sudan's Rapid Support Forces

 The International Crisis Group (ICG) posted on 11 May 2023 a 46-minute podcast titled "The Rise of Sudan's RSF and Their Leader 'Hemedti'" with Alan Boswell and Jerome Tubiana.  

Former senior ICG Sudan analyst Tubiana unpacks the roots of the conflict in Sudan, the rise of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their leader, and their rivalry with the Sudan Armed Forces.  The program discusses where the conflict might be headed, what a resolution could look like, and what that might mean for the future of the RSF and Sudan.

Russia, Wagner Group, Libya, and Sudan Conflict

 The New Arab published on 25 April 2023 an article titled "How Russia's Wagner Group Is Fuelling Sudan's Armed Conflict" by Samuel Ramani, University of Oxford.  

Drawing on numerous journalistic sources, this article details the involvement of Russia's Wagner Group and Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army support for Sudan's Rapid Support Forces led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.  

Podcast on Conflict in Sudan

 Malaysia's Because Freedom Matters 89.9 radio station posted on 25 April 2023 a podcast titled "Sudan, On a Brink of Civil War?" with me.

The focus of the discussion was on the reasons behind the violence, the role of natural resources, whether it will result in a humanitarian crisis and civil war, and the implications for international actors.  

Russian Mercenary Group Closely Tied to Sudan's Warring Generals

 The Washington Post published on 22 April 2023 an article titled "Russian Mercenaries Closely Linked with Sudan's Warring Generals" by Katharine Houreld, Dalton Bennett, and Robyn Dixon.  

Russia's mercenary organization known as the Wagner Group has provided equipment and training to the Sudanese security forces, especially the Rapid Support Forces, advised government leaders, and conducted information operations.  Wagner's founder, Russian oligarch Yevgeniy Prigozhin, reportedly even offered to mediate the Sudan crisis.