Canada's Barrick Gold said on Monday it would suspend operations in Mali if the country does not lift restrictions on gold shipments within the coming week, as the mining group faces what sources told Reuters amounted to a confiscation order.

Barrick Gold Corp. said it will have to halt mining in Mali soon if the government doesn’t stop disrupting exports and operations at its mine.

Barrick Gold threatens to temporarily suspend operations at Loulo-Gounkoto mine in Mali over dispute with government.

Barrick Gold (NYSE:GOLD) (TSX:ABX) has given Mali a week to remove gold exports limits and resolve a dispute over its Loulo-Gounkoto mining complex, in response to the country extending its shipping ban to include the site’s on-hand stock of the precious metal.

Major miner Barrick Gold (TSX:ABX,NYSE:GOLD) remains unable to export gold from its Loulo-Gounkoto mining complex in Mali due to ongoing restrictions imposed by the country's government. In a Monday (January 6) press release,

Barrick Gold Corporation GOLD has stated that it remains restricted from shipping gold from its Loulo-Gounkoto mining complex in Mali. Furthermore, an interim attachment order has been issued against the current gold stock on site,

The standoff in Mali, coupled with threats by Burkina Faso's military junta to revoke mining permits and the seizure of a French-operated uranium site in Niger, has raised concerns among Western mining companies.