river in western Africa, rising in the Fouta Djallon massif of Guinea and flowing generally northeast through the sandstone Mandingues Hills to the Mali border. It then flows north-northwest through less elevated terrain to be fed by the Baoulé River. It turns west down a river valley until, at Bafoulabé, Mali, it merges with the Bafing River to form the Sénégal River. The Bakoye is about 250 miles (400 km) long and is unnavigable. It is the only river rising in the area around Siguiri, Guinea, that does not flow into the Niger River. Guinea gold from Bouré, on the Bakoye's headstreams, was once an important export.