I had always assumed that when things settled down M. Bolloré would himself swoop in on the lithium deposits.*
From The Economist, August 19:
Its nine-year campaign became a bloody mess
IN JANUARY 2013 French forces swooped into Mali to halt columns of northern separatists and jihadists that were threatening Bamako, the capital. At first their intervention, at the request of Mali’s government, was a stunning success. Within weeks northern cities, such as Gao and Timbuktu, were liberated. But what was meant to be a brief operation turned into a grinding struggle. This week, after nine and a half years, the last remaining French soldiers were flown out of their country’s former colony. They leave behind a country that is increasingly overwhelmed by the insurgency. The fight against the jihadists—who are loosely affiliated to al-Qaeda and Islamic State—has only become more bloody (see map). And the terrorists, once confined, have spread across vast swathes of the Sahel....
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And the lithium? Down there in the southwest below Bamako.
Mining Technology: Bougouni Lithium Project, Mali
I would definitely classify this as a frontier property but maybe not for the Chinese whom the leaseholder, Kodal Minerals has chosen as a contractor:
Mali : le Chinois Sinohydro aidera Kodal Minerals dans l’exploitation du lithium de Bougouni
Kodal Minerals a choisi Sinohydro comme partenaire pour le développement de son projet de lithium Bougouni. La société chinoise doit mener des activités incluant la négociation d’accords de prélèvements et le financement des travaux de construction de la mine qui devraient bientôt démarrer.
Au Mali, le projet de lithium Bougouni se rapproche davantage de l’entrée en production. Son propriétaire, la compagnie minière Kodal Minerals, a en effet conclu un protocole d’accord avec l’entrepreneur chinois Sinohydro pour certains travaux d’ingénierie et l’obtention d’un financement pour les travaux de construction.
Selon les termes de l’accord, Sinohydro dispose d’une période d’exclusivité de six mois pour examiner les besoins de financement du projet et aider la compagnie à obtenir les fonds nécessaires. Durant cette même période, le groupe chinois aura à apporter son expertise sur la meilleure façon de mener les travaux de construction. Sinohydro négociera également des accords de prélèvement de la future production avec des sociétés implantées dans l’empire du Milieu....
...MUCH MORE
Even bigger is the Goulamina Lithium Project, one of the top ten resources in the world:
