Hilaire Diarra had reportedly been assisting Barrick in resolving a dispute with the African state over unpaid revenues

A top executive who represented Canadian mining giant Barrick in tense negotiations with Mali has defected to become an adviser to the West African nation's leader, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing a Mines Ministry official.

Hilaire Diarra, formerly general manager of the Canadian company's Tongon Gold Mine in Ivory Coast, was appointed special counsellor by Malian President Assimi Goita in a decree signed in late August, according to the outlet.

An unnamed Malian Mines Ministry official reportedly confirmed the decree's authenticity, while Diarra and a Barrick spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Relations between Bamako and Barrick, one of the world's largest gold producers, have deteriorated over alleged unpaid taxes and royalties. The company has been negotiating with the military-led government since 2023 on the implementation of a new mining code that grants the Sahel state a greater control and share of its mineral wealth.

Recent negotiations collapsed after authorities demanded a lump-sum payment of 125 billion CFA francs ($197 million) in unpaid revenues against Barrick's proposed structured payment plan. Tensions escalated in November following the arrest of four local Barrick executives on charges of money laundering and financing terrorism. A Malian court has since denied their release.

The company hastakenMali to the World Bank's arbitration tribunal, contesting the government's seizure of gold stocks from its local subsidiaries and the block on exports. Barrick said it has also sought provisional measures to protect its rights under contractual agreements after Bamako's Commercial Tribunal stripped it of control of the Loulo-Gounkoto complex andplacedthe site under temporary administration at the government's request.

According to Reuters, Diarra, a Malian national who began his career at the Loulo mine, traveled to Bamako from Ivory Coast this year to negotiate on Barrick's behalf.

Barrick is not the only Western firm under pressure in the Sahel. In neighboring Niger, French state-owned Oranolost controlof the Imouraren and Somair uranium mines for "irresponsible, illegal, and unfair behavior." Niamey alsonationalizedthe country's only industrial gold mine in August, accusing Australian-owned operator McKinel Resources Limited of "grave contractual breaches."

(RT.com)