Insecurity in Burkina Faso – beyond conflict minerals

The assumption that the escalating violence in Burkina Faso is caused by the coincident increase in gold mining has, in some cases, led the authorities to close mines. We argue that the violence should rather be seen as a result of long-term trends, such as state disengagement, growing economic dependence on gold and the gradual privatisation of security. We recommend that policy makers reform the governance of the mining sector in dialogue with the artisanal miners, rather than take repressive actions against them.