Guinea’s review of dormant and underused mining licences has prompted Resolute Mining to seek clarification from the government after local media reports suggested that some exploration permits, including those held by the company, could be cancelled.

Australia- and UK-listed Resolute said on Thursday that it had not received formal notification from the authorities, but confirmed that the permits reportedly at risk include Niagassola, Doko, and Siguiri-Kouroussa. 

These three tenements make up the Mansala prospect, where an initial inferred mineral resource of 8.4-million tonnes at 1.3 g/t for 357 000 oz of contained gold was announced in 2024, following a two-year drilling programme.

The permits are currently held by Toro Gold Guinée, a Resolute subsidiary.

Earlier this month, Resolute announced a transaction with AngloGold Ashanti involving the transfer of Toro Gold Guinée and the Mansala permits. The deal forms part of a broader asset swap in which AngloGold divested its Doropo and ABC projects in Côte d’Ivoire to Resolute for $175-million.

Located near AngloGold’s existing Siguiri mine, the Mansala permits are considered a potential brownfield ore source.

The transfer of Resolute’s mining permits to AngloGold is subject to government approval and certain conditions. If the transfer is not completed within 18 months – or a later date as agreed between the parties – Resolute will pay AngloGold $25-million in lieu of the transfer.

Guinea’s military-led government, which came to power in 2021, has been taking action against mining rights with limited activity, particularly in the gold and bauxite sectors.

This week, ASX-listed Predictive Discovery confirmed that its Argo and Bokoro permits had been cancelled, while Endeavour Mining is also understood to have lost four exploration licences. Iron-ore company Equatorial Resources said it was seeking clarification after local media reported that its Nimba West and Nimba North tenements were among those affected.