GOLD mining companies scrambled for answers today after Burkina Faso’s military leader announced plans to withdraw some foreign mining permits and increase domestic gold production.

The country’s interim leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, announced the decision on Saturday without specifying which companies might lose their permits.

In a radio address to the nation to mark two years since the military took over in the West African country, Captain Traore said: “We know how to mine our gold and I don’t understand why we’re going to let multinationals come and mine it.