Ivory Coast Deploys Equipment to Eradicate Illegal Gold Mining

The Ivorian National Security Council deployed new tactical transport, surveillance equipment, and rivercraft on September 30, 2026, to support a six-month enforcement push against illegal gold mining across the country. Vice-Premier Minister and Minister of Defence Téné Birahima Ouattara presided over the equipment handover at the Agban gendarmerie barracks in Abidjan, backed by a broader logistical package aimed at dismantling clandestine mining networks that authorities say threaten national security and environmental safety.

Equipment Deployment and Logistical Phase

State authorities distributed an initial wave of tactical vehicles and surveillance assets to the prefectoral corps and the Defence and Security Forces during the September 30 ceremony. According to government figures, the initial delivery comprised 30 pickup trucks, 35 troop transport vehicles, 300 motorcycles, 12 zodiac boats, and several aerial drones designed for tactical intelligence and restricted-area patrols.

Fidèle Sarassoro, minister director of cabinet to the president and executive secretary of the National Security Council, noted that this rollout forms part of a wider procurement order. The complete acquisition schedule includes 48 pickup trucks, 40 troop transport vehicles, 360 motorcycles, 84 zodiac boats, 35 drones, and 10 GPS units intended to track illicit miners into forest zones and polluted waterways.

Strategic Shift and Prefectural Authority

The equipment acceleration follows a recent resurgence in illegal mining activity despite the 2021 creation of the Special Group for the Fight Against Illegal Gold Panning. Sarassoro stated that the illicit operations rely on local complicity, external financing, and foreign involvement.

To counter these complex networks, the state revised its operational strategy during an early September workshop in Yamoussoukro, placing the prefectoral corps at the center of the enforcement apparatus. The updated framework pairs administrative authority and community-level intelligence with direct field operations led by the Gendarmerie National, the Special Group, and the Special Surveillance and Intervention Brigade.

Enforcement Mandate and Community Engagement

Defence Minister Téné Birahima Ouattara emphasized that the government has adopted a firm posture to eradicate the environmental and security impacts of clandestine mining while respecting the legal rights of local populations. Speaking on behalf of the Gendarmerie National, General of the Army Corps Alexandre Apalo Touré highlighted the stakes of the operation during the handover event.

Ce qui fait la particularité, c’est que la sécurité de l’État est en jeu.

General Alexandre Apalo Touré, Koaci.com

Touré praised the integration of local prefects into the enforcement chain due to their close proximity to community residents, urging continued cooperation between security units and forestry agents. Sarassoro called for a general mobilization of traditional chiefs, religious leaders, elected officials, and civil society members to maintain pressure on unauthorized mining operators and their accomplices across the ten most affected regions.