Emerging Territorial Dynamics in Ghabou Department, Guidimakha: Diaguili Copper-Gold Project and Implications for Landscape Restoration Planning

General
1

Dear ERIP team and colleagues,

Following my previous note on emerging territorial dynamics in the Ghabou Department, I would like to share another recent development that may be relevant for landscape restoration planning and territorial resilience discussions within the RAP process.

This update concerns the area of Diaguili (also referred to as Diaguily) and Moulessimou, located in the southern part of the Guidimakha Region, close to the Senegal River.

In July 2026, the Australian company Zeus Resources (ASX: ZEU) announced an agreement to progressively acquire Sab Metals Mauritania, the company holding the Diaguili copper-gold exploration project. This marks the beginning of a new phase of activity in this part of the Guidimakha landscape.

Beyond the mining project itself, the area presents a particularly important territorial configuration where several interconnected systems converge:

  • the Senegal River valley and its associated agricultural landscapes;

  • the local seasonal hydrological network, including the Touna watercourse, which contributes to drainage from the Guidimakha uplands towards the lower valley;

  • agricultural plains and riverine ecosystems connected to the Senegal River corridor;

  • historical riverside settlements, including Moulessimou, located in the immediate vicinity of Diaguili.

Rather than focusing on the mining project itself, this territorial update highlights how new economic investments may progressively reshape landscape dynamics and influence future restoration priorities.

Potential aspects deserving attention include:

  • future land-use changes;

  • interactions with local water systems;

  • sediment transport and hydrological dynamics;

  • potential pressures on agricultural landscapes and riverine ecosystems;

  • evolving governance and stakeholder configurations associated with new territorial investments.

Within the framework of the RAP process, this type of information may contribute to:

  • identifying emerging areas requiring closer attention;

  • improving the understanding of evolving territorial dynamics;

  • supporting future restoration prioritisation;

  • progressively mapping stakeholders involved in landscape management.

More broadly, developments such as this illustrate why landscape restoration planning benefits from continuous territorial monitoring, allowing practitioners to anticipate future pressures rather than responding only after landscape changes have already occurred.

I will continue monitoring publicly available information and sharing relevant territorial updates that may support the ERIP community.

Kind regards,

Almamy Soumaré