If it wasnt for Ganfeng, its highly likely that FFX and LLL...

If it wasnt for Ganfeng, its highly likely that FFX and LLL shareholders would have got nothing. The relationships with the Malian government had grown so toxic, that Ganfeng ended up acting as the intermediary, because both FFX and LLL probably lost all access to government departments.

There are still mining companies that operate in Mali who are quite successful, but it really comes down to the quality of leadership within the company, their in-country knowledge and just how they acquired those assets in the first place.

By just locking the gates to Morila and throwing the keys away, FFX acted deplorably. That behaviour would not be tolerated in Australia, so rather than Mali becoming a no-go zone for investment, it might be that dealing with Australian companies becomes a no-go zone for the Malian government. But reputational damage on both sides no doubt.