Mali: Chinese nationals arrested for illegal casino

Chinese-Malian relations could be under pressure following the arrest of Chinese nationals for opening an illegal casino, according to RFI and agencies on August 7th.

Malian authorities arrested 10 Chinese nationals for opening an illegal casino in Bamako; the justice system refused the defendants’ request for provisional release on August 5th.

A source close to the case testified that the establishment is a “real criminal enterprise” and was set up with the help of local accomplices.

Bamako has been under a renewed blockade since April 28th, within days of the coordinated attacks by the al-Qaeda-affiliated JNIM and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) on April 25th.

Despite this, the casino operation began by recruiting young women and searching for a house for the gambling dens in an upscale neighbourhood of Bamako, which is frequented by foreign nationals and Malians.

High-ranking officials issued forged permits; up to 130 customers could be found at the casino, where alcohol was served, and prostitutes frequented the premises.

Reportedly, at least 15 Chinese nationals operate in the neighbourhood; after 10 were arrested, they denounced their local accomplices, including civilians and members of the military.

In recent years, China and Russia have maintained a foothold in Mali and the Sahel region more broadly, particularly as Mali and its junta-led allies, Burkina Faso and Niger, have rejected Western ties.

Russia vetoed UN sanctions against Mali in 2023, while China abstained on the vote to extend Malian sanctions over “grave human rights abuses.”

Both Russian and Chinese organisations have been targeted in suspected jihadist attacks, including the Russian Africa Corps.

Covec, a Chinese construction firm, had its warehouses, cranes and tractors set ablaze in late May 2025 in the western Kayes region, situated near the Senegalese border, where JNIM are particularly active.

On May 12th, 2025, an artisanal gold mining site operated by Chinese nationals in southern Mali was targeted in a suspected jihadist attack; two Chinese nationals were also kidnapped.

JNIM has imposed a fuel blockade on Mali since September 2025; the blockade is designed to destabilise Mali’s junta and establish an Islamic Republic governed by Sharia law.

As part of their “economic jihad” campaign to fund their operations, JNIM have targeted foreign nationals for kidnappings and ransom payments.

From May to October 2025, between 22 and 26 foreign nationals were taken hostage by jihadists in Mali, including citizens of China, Egypt, India, Iran, and the UAE.

RFI and agencies, AP, Maghrebi.org