Niger seizes sole Australian-run industrial gold mine amid push for resource sovereignty

Niger’s military-led government has nationalized the country’s only industrial gold mine, Société des Mines du Liptako (SML), accusing its Australian operator, McKinel Resources, of “serious breaches,” including failure to fulfill a $10 million investment pledge.
The junta, in power since a 2023 coup, framed the move as a strategic step toward national resource control. “In view of serious breaches and with a view to saving this highly strategic company,” an order from General Abdourahamane Tiani stated, “the state of Niger has taken the decision to nationalize SML.” Officials said the mine, located in the conflict-ridden Tillabéri region, has suffered halted production, wage arrears, layoffs, and rising debt under McKinel’s management. In 2023, the mine produced just 177 kilograms of gold, dwarfed by 2.2 tonnes from artisanal miners, according to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).
The decision comes months after Niger nationalized French uranium firm Orano’s local operations and expelled Chinese oil workers, signaling a broader policy shift toward economic sovereignty and state oversight of key sectors. A deadly bomb attack near the mine in May that killed eight workers and prompted a large military deployment further underscored the site’s strategic importance. This move reflects a growing West African trend, seen in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso, where military regimes are tightening control over natural resources to demand greater local benefit from foreign investment.