An ongoing dispute over ownership stakes in Barrick’s operation in Mali has led to the arrest of mining officials, the government’s gold seizure and the company’s shutdown of its mine.

Mali's military government is holding gold seized from Barrick Gold's Loulo-Gounkoto mine site at state-owned Banque Malienne de Solidarite (BMS), two sources said, as the miner pursues plans to suspend its operations in the country.

Canada’s Barrick Gold has suspended operations in Mali after the government seized gold from the company in an escalation of a dispute between the military junta and international mining groups.

Barrick Gold (NYSE:GOLD) has told the Mali government it will suspend mining operations in Mali after the government seized gold stocks from the Loulo-Gounkoto complex and flew them out by helicopter over the weekend,

Canada's Barrick Gold on Tuesday confirmed it had suspended operations in Mali and that the government had moved gold stock from the miner's Loulo-Gounkoto site to a bank.

Mali’s military government has started seizing gold stocks of the Canadian mining company Barrick as part of a legal battle over the share of revenue owed to the West African state, according to an internal Barrick letter seen by The Associated Press.

Shares of Barrick Gold were last seen 0.3% higher at $15.75, but remain down 21.1% over the past three months. GOLD faces resistance at the $16 level and its 30-day moving average, though the $15 mark has recently provided support to limit further losses.

Barrick Gold is suspending mining operations in Mali after the government seized gold stockpiles and issued an arrest warrant for Barrick's CEO. Bloomberg's William Clowes reports from Johannesburg. (