Following the coup in Mali, many gold miners have reported that there has been no interruption to production. Randgold Resources is perhaps the most influential producer in the country. Its CEO Mark Bristow said yesterday that the Bamako airport had reopened and the borders opened for all traffic on Tuesday.

Bristow, who was at the company’s Loulo complex in Mali, said the operation’s fuel supplies had been replenished over the weekend and the Loulo, Gounkoto and Morila mines were all operating at present. Randgold and other mining companies in Mali had a meeting with representatives of the Comité National de Redressement de la Démocratie et la Restauration de l’État (CNRD-RE) on Monday at which the CNRD-RE assured them that the situation was under control and that the State was still functioning. The CNRD-RE representatives also assured them that they were well aware of the importance of the mining industry to the Malian economy.