From the Sahel to Dubai: On the trail of dirty gold

The United Arab Emirates is being singled out for turning a blind eye to the origin of the gold bars entering its territory. In response, international institutions such as the OECD are calling for stricter industry regulations. The gold boom in Sahelian regions is attracting increasing interest from armed groups, including jihadists.

This investigation, carried out over more than a year in several African countries, was sparked by the arrest of Franco-Malagasy ‘mules’ at Johannesburg airport in December 2020 carrying 73 kilograms of gold in their luggage. The journalist behind this documentary sought to uncover who owned the gold, in collaboration with Stefan Carstens, Graham Walsh and Damien Koffi, as well as Walid Ag Menani and Anne-Fleur Lespiaut, who took exclusive images of the smelters at Bamako's large gold market and of the Intahaka mine in northern Mali.

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