A judge in Mali has placed Canadian mining company Barrick Gold under provisional administration in an ongoing dispute with the military government over alleged unpaid taxes

Canada's Barrick Mining had its Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex in Mali placed under state control by a court on Monday in a major escalation of a dispute over taxes and ownership.

A Mali court has ruled that gold mines held by Canadian giant Barrick Gold in the west of the country be managed for six months by an appointee, effectively baring the company from operating one of the largest gold complexes in the world.