Semafo halts Guinea gold plant, evacuates expats
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- Published on Thursday, 22 September 2011 21:13
- Written by Saliou Samb
Semafo halts Guinea gold plant, evacuates expats
(Audio available further in this article)
CONAKRY (Reuters) - Canada-based gold miner Semafo said on Monday it had halted operations at its Kiniero gold-processing plant in Guinea and evacuated its expatriate workers after violent protests by locals over jobs.
"All operations at the plant have stopped for the moment, there is nobody on site," Semafo spokesman Haphy Fofana said. "The dozen expatriates working for Semafo spent last night in Kankan before being evacuated to Bamako (Mali)."
(Pour Ecouter, appuyer ci-dessous)
He said that locals seeking jobs at the Kiniero gold mine, about 500 km (300 miles) from the capital Conakry, had protested for three days and then attacked the homes of foreign workers, damaging the buildings.
"This caused a panic," he said.
A senior official at the West African state's Mines Ministry said a government delegation had been sent to Kiniero to help resolve the problem.
Quebec-based Semafo produces some 20,000 ounces of gold from the Kiniero mine each year. Semafo also operates gold mines in Burkina Faso and Niger. Guinea accounts for only a small portion of Semafo's annual gold output, which topped 260,000 ounces in 2010.
"At this time, we do not (have) knowledge of when (Guinea) operations will come back in full force," said Sofia St. Laurent, a spokeswoman for the company in Quebec.
"Management remains confident that we will be able to meet our annual production guidance," she said.
Semafo shares were down nearly 3 percent at C$9.53 in afternoon trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Monday.
Guinea is the world's top exporter of the aluminum ore bauxite, but is also seeking to boost investment in its iron ore and gold reserves.
By Saliou Samb.
EXCLUSIF
L’université Thierno Macka Barry honore ses diplômés
L’université Thierno Macka Barry est située dans le quartier Dabompa, Commune de Matoto.
Elle a été fondée en 2006 avec un effectif de cinquante étudiants repartit dans les facultés des lettres et sciences humaines, Droit et sciences politiques et les sciences économiques et gestion.
Les trois premières promotions viennent de bénéficier de leurs diplômes.
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English Corner
Ethnic clashes erupt in Guinea capital
(Reuters) - Rival gangs fought with knives and truncheons in Guinea's crumbling seaside capital on Friday as ethnic tension worsened before an election in the unstable West African nation, witnesses said.
Security forces in full anti-riot gear piled into the backs of pick-up trucks and deployed across Conakry to separate the fighters as President Alpha Conde's government appealed for calm.
"It has become very bad. People set fire to a car right in front of me. I've seen four people injured in the fighting," said Souleymane Bah, a resident of Bambeto, one of several areas where clashes were reported.
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