Senior Barrick Gold executive switches sides and now aligns with Mali's government

A senior Barrick Mining executive who had been representing the company in tense negotiations with Mali's government has switched sides to become an adviser to Mali's president, a mines ministry official told Reuters on Wednesday.

Hilaire Diarra was general manager of Barrick's Tongon Gold Mine in Côte d'Ivoire before he was named special counsellor to Mali's president in a decree signed in late August and seen by Reuters this week.

The mines ministry official confirmed the document's authenticity on Wednesday.

The move represents a further blow to the Canadian mining company's efforts to negotiate for control of its Loulo-Gounkoto gold mining complex, one of the most high-profile examples of resource nationalism among West African governments seeking greater control over their gold and uranium wealth.

Mining code

Diarra and a Barrick spokesperson did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

Mali's government has been negotiating with Barrick since 2023 over the implementation of a new mining code that raises taxes and gives the government a greater share of its gold mines.