Guard killed in armed attack at Kodal’s Mali lithium mine

[Ben Graham]

Kodal Minerals (LON: KOD) confirmed on Tuesday that a security guard was killed in an attack on its Bougouni lithium mine in Mali on August 22.

The company said assailants on motorcycles targeted the site but were repelled after military forces stationed at the mine engaged them. The attackers fled, but one guard employed by Kodal’s security contractor died at the scene. No other staff or contractors were harmed.

Kodal said it is working closely with the Malian government to reinforce protection for employees and contractors. Military security around the site has since been increased.

Operations at Bougouni remain unaffected. The mine, which began production in February, has an agreement to sell its entire output to China’s Hainan Mining.Mining and processing activities at the Bougouni mine have not been impacted by the incident.

Located 170 kilometres south of Bamako, Bougouni is targeting production of 11,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate per month. It is set to become Mali’s second operating lithium project, following Ganfeng Lithium’s Goulamina mine, which opened in late 2024.