Member Info for Cnutgoestheeasal

In Mali, the intersection of the insurgency and the gold mining industry has reached a critical and volatile state as of late January 2026. The situation is characterized by a "triple squeeze": increasing direct attacks on industrial sites, severe logistical disruptions caused by militant blockades, and an aggressive state takeover of industry oversight.1. Direct Attacks on Mining InfrastructureThe security landscape shifted significantly in early January 2026 when suspected jihadist militants launched a direct assault on the Morila Gold Mine.The Incident: On January 6, 2026, militants targeted the mine, burning operational equipment and causing significant asset damage.Impact: While personnel were recovered safely, the attack signaled that high-value industrial targets are no longer "off-limits" or successfully protected by the current security arrangements (including the presence of Wagner/Russian Africa Corps forces).2. Logistics and the "Fuel Siege" (Weekend Update)The most pressing development from this past weekend (January 24–25, 2026) is the government's move to ration fuel.Militant Blockades: Al-Qaeda-linked groups (JNIM) have successfully choked supply routes from neighboring countries.The Shortage: Prior to these attacks, roughly 6,000 fuel tankers entered Mali per month; since the start of 2026, that number has dropped to fewer than 2,000.Mining Impact: Industrial gold mines are massive consumers of diesel for power generation and heavy machinery. If the blockade persists, mines like B2Gold's Fekola or Allied Gold's Sadiola may be forced to suspend operations due to lack of power, even if they aren't directly attacked.3. The "Gold Industry Takeover" by the JuntaOn January 22, 2026, Mali's military leader Assimi Goita issued a decree that fundamentally changed how the industry is governed:Direct Presidential Oversight: Oversight of the gold industry has been moved from the Ministry of Mines directly to the Presidency.New Ministerial Role: A new cabinet-level position was created to report directly to Goita, designed to enforce the "Resource Sovereignty" agenda.Production Slump: These regulatory battles, particularly a long-standing dispute with Barrick Gold, caused Mali's industrial gold output to plunge by 23% in 2025. Barrick's Loulo-Gounkoto complex is currently operating under a state-appointed administrator.Summary of Current RisksRisk Factor2026 StatusPhysical SecurityHigh. Direct attacks on mines (e.g., Morila) are increasing.Supply ChainCritical. Fuel rationing is now in effect due to militant road blockades.State InterventionExtreme. The Presidency now has direct control over all mining compliance and permits.

I've been following this closely and it's big big news in the Philippines and assumed everybody else was too. I'm pretty sure there are all sorts of parties that have got involved in the protests and not all for altruistic reasons. I'm sure MTL pointed the authorities' in the direction of the gold, copper and other similar metals prices and said something along the lines of - it's boom time and do you really want to miss the party and forego not just the jobs and the potential tax revenue all this is going to raise plus our tried and proven approach to community relations and artisanal participation?

Err no said the authorities. What's the number of the local police commissioner?

The clouds part - eh TrueRed?

There have been some minor developments like err arson attacks on equipment on site, withdrawal of all staff for safety reasons, mass arrests and then over the weekend the deployment of 300+ police to enforce the court injunction.

Quite exciting really. Oh and yes they haven't really started to drill because of all this excitement and hence no news on it.

Simples....

I try not to be too blunt on BBs otherwise WW3 breaks out but Sakura you've really not been paying attention...

according to gemini the blockade is broken. it states:

here is the breakdown of what happened between friday and this morning:

1. forced removal of the barricades (jan 24–25)

over the weekend, a "show of force" involving more than 300 police officers was deployed to baran*** bitnong and other key entry points in dupax del norte. acting on a court-issued temporary restraining order (tro) and a specific writ to clear the roads, authorities dismantled the "people’s barricade" that had been in place since late 2025.

2. resumption of logistics and mobilization

following the clearing of the roads, woggle corporation (the local operator backed by metals exploration plc) successfully began transporting:

drilling core boxes

piping for water and drilling fluid

fuel and gasoline supplies

initial heavy machinery components

local reports from sunday, january 25, confirm that police escorted these convoys directly to the drilling site to ensure they reached the property without further interference.

3. arrests and local reaction

the weekend was marked by high tension and physical confrontations. at least seven community members and anti-mining advocates were arrested during the clearing operation on saturday. local religious leaders and environmental groups, including the diocese of bayombong, have condemned the use of force, but the legal injunction currently prevents residents from re-establishing the blockade.

current status of drilling

while the company has not yet issued a formal "drilling started" press release on the london stock exchange, the mobilization phase is complete. based on the equipment moved over the weekend, actual ground-breaking (drilling of the first of the 11 planned holes) is expected to commence immediately, if it has not already started in the last few hours.

the company's goal remains an initial 2,500-meter drilling program to confirm high-grade gold and copper targets, with the intent of feeding the ore to the existing runruno processing plant.

I got in early three times with an average of 200p ish perhaps i should have bought some more but lacked (for me) an obvious trigger. However, the combination of clearly an intent within the next 2 years to at least double production and the fact they will have the cash to do it (not needing expensive finance) as certainly an eye opening. The share price fall typical on a day's announcement was the final push.

For God's sake they have over 4m of reserves (not resources) to dig up and they seem very serious about doing it efficiently with Japanese help so I reckon with today's prices a 100k output with a net margin of 2k gives USD200 that a PE of less than 3. If they exceed 100k then obviously less. Most of the money has been made already I'll admit but this could still easily double once Mr Market gets his head amount the sheer scale of their ambitions and the fact the stuff in the ground is already largely proven...

Quite right addicknt. The reason OMI share price went from 40 back to 2 was the unwillingness of their JV partners to forge ahead and make discoveries. The y would be mad to have a JV at this early stage. The mantra has to be (apart from Pepas1 which they can develop themselves thanks to toll mining) keep drilling and keep proving up resources. This is what Brad is good at - which better than the majors. Once it has been shown to exist to a high degree of certainty and we're looking at a large scale operation then OK time to talk turkey.

But not until then.

At some point the management need to call meetings to get the bid through. So far nothing and we're getting up to a month since the bid was made unconditional (albeit with xmas inbetween). They don't seem to be in any hurry...

Thanks Dr!

Dr - I can't see all these tweets you mention - could you post the links please? Thank you!

Welcome aboard JG. I've been to 2 AGMs since investing last year. Looked into the whites of their eyes, pushed and prodded them a bit on questions and was very happy about the responses I have received and subsequent events after. Still it always pays to keep a sceptical eye even on the most promising of holdings.

Btw I was a late investor in SOLG when the price seesawed between 35 and 24. I piled in at 25ish and was quite happy with my short term gain. I just couldn't see the Chinese walking away once they'd been given permission to move currency out of China to fund the acquisition.

Compared with other junior goldies on AIM just look at the price chart for OMI - it's up and down like a coiled spring. Clearly whatever certain people on this board say (no names mentioned) there is a good two way trade in this stock. I'm guessing mainly fuelled by refugees from SOLG and WSBN trying to get on board whilst existing shareholders (not just retail) might be tempted to take profits.

Personally I think this is a good thing. Stops the board becoming a complete cult.😇

Short answer: visible silver tells you almost nothing negative about the likelihood of gold being present. In porphyry–epithermal systems, gold is far less commonly visible to the naked eye than silver, and it is entirely normal for gold to be present at economic grades while never being seen in hand specimen.

Let me break this down in a way that maps directly onto Patagonian porphyry–epithermal geology, which you’re correctly framing.

1. Visibility bias: silver vs gold

Silver

Silver commonly occurs as native silver, argentite (Ag₂S), or Ag-rich sulfosalts.

These minerals:

Have higher reflectivity

Commonly form coarser grains

Are often visible in fractures and vugs

Result: silver is frequently visible to the naked eye, especially in epithermal veins.

Gold

In porphyry and epithermal systems, gold:

Is often micron-scale (or smaller)

Occurs as:

“Invisible gold” in sulfides (pyrite, arsenopyrite)

Very fine native gold in quartz or sulfide matrices

Is commonly below visual detection, even at multi-g/t grades

➡️ Conclusion:

Gold is much less likely to be visible than silver, even when present at economic concentrations.

2. Porphyry–epithermal systems: silver-rich zones are normal

In Patagonian arc-related systems (Jurassic–Cretaceous extensional setting linked to South Atlantic opening):

You typically see metal zoning:

Upper / distal epithermal zones → Ag-rich ± Au

Intermediate zones → Au–Ag ± base metals

Deeper porphyry core → Au ± Cu ± Mo

Visible silver often appears in:

Low-sulfidation epithermal veins

Boiling zones

Late-stage hydrothermal pulses

These zones can:

Sit above or laterally offset from the main gold-rich system

Still be genetically linked to a gold-bearing porphyry at depth

➡️ Visible silver can actually be a vector, not a warning sign.

3. Silver-dominant mineralisation does NOT imply gold absence

Important point:

Silver-rich ≠ gold-poor

Many world-class Au systems show:

Strong silver expression

Gold present mainly as:

Invisible gold in pyrite

Sub-microscopic inclusions

Assay-only gold

Examples (conceptual, not promotional):

Cerro Negro (Argentina)

Hishikari (Japan)

Yanacocha (Peru)

Many Deseado Massif systems

In these systems:

Early drillers often saw silver first

Gold only became evident once assays and petrography came back

4. When visible silver would be a concern

There are scenarios where visible silver could imply limited gold potential — but they’re specific:

🚩 Potentially negative indicators:

Purely Ag–Pb–Zn veins with no Au pathfinders

Carbonate-hosted Ag systems unrelated to porphyry magmatism

Very late, low-temperature silver veins cutting earlier Au systems

But in your case:

Arc-related magmatism ✔

Porphyry target ✔

Epithermal overprint ✔

Patagonia tectonic context ✔

➡️ None of the classic

Orosur mining has been drilling for gold in Patagonia a prime gold region on account of it being at one time on the boundary where the atlantic ocean was formed by upwelling magma. They are looking for a porphyry gold system with epithermal veins rich in gold. We don't know the detail on the assays yet but what we do know is that silver was clearly visisble to the naked eye. Does this mean that gold is less likely to be present or is it much less common for gold to be seen to the naked eye and so it is present in the assays but just not visible

It does look as though somebody is trying to keep this below 30p. The offer is resolutely below 30p but the bid seems to be creeping up at the moment...

These people are rarely who they say they are. Most likely a paid agent provocateur and not a very good one at that. Let's be honest I like to play devil's advocate with the best of them but even I'd struggle to fit the moniker of "what a shambles of a stock, truly appalling" to reality on and in the ground.

Perhaps she's only got so far as the Dec 2023 RNS in which case I'd agree with her.

Trouble is things have changed a bit since then.....

Hi Slim - I'm the other geezer that turned up to the Condor AGMs. Looking back what a laugh they were! We seemed to be constantly chasing Mark who did his best to hold AGMs in the most remote place in the South of England when that didn't work removed himself to the screen. And when that didn't work lost his temper and refused to answer any questions.

Happy days....perhaps on reflection not so much.

Ah - Brexit the gift that keeps on giving....

Sakura you are right to be suspicious of any prognostication that involves Brexit and a subject it appears to be only remotely connected with.

In case anybody hasn't noticed the main market is doing rather nicely at the moment. Lord knows why now but there it is and when values in the main market go up mutatis mutandis go will those of aim. Well at least those that are not joke stocks by WSBN but ones that are earning real money now like MTL.

Just wait and see...

So why couldn't they get access to La Virginceta at the time?

Artisanals?