AngloGold Ashanti's Siguiri mine in Guinea operating normally

6th September 2021 By: Reuters

AngloGold Ashanti said its Siguiri gold mine in Guinea was operating normally after the apparent ouster of Guinea's long-serving President Alpha Conde on Sunday.

"We're monitoring the situation and are in close contact with the leadership of our mine in Guinea, which is operating normally," the gold miner said in a statement. "The safety of our employees remains our priority."

It was not clear whether the unrest had impacted bauxite operations in the West African country which is the world's second-largest producer of the aluminium ore.

Aluminium prices hit their highest in more than 10 years after reports of the political turmoil triggered supply concerns.

Guinea produced 88-million tonnes of bauxite last year according to mines ministry statistics.

Société Minière de Boké (SMB), the country's top producer of bauxite, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Rusal, which owns the Compagnie des Bauxites de Kindia (CBK) in Guinea, did not immediately respond to questions on whether its operations had been disrupted.

Rio Tinto, which is developing the Simandou iron-ore project in Guinea, declined to comment on how the apparent overthrow might impact its plans in the country.