What's Hot

    MENA startups raised almost USD 4 billion in 2022

    January 30, 2023

    Autochek acquires KIFAL Auto, expands to North Africa

    January 27, 2023

    Wafeq raises USD 3 million in seed round

    January 26, 2023
    Gulf Africa ReviewGulf Africa Review
    • Industry
    • Infrastructure
      1. Airport
      2. Hospitality
      3. Ports
      4. Power
      5. Rail
      6. Roads
      7. Transport
      Featured

      Osun seeks to capitalise on infrastructure momentum

      Infrastructure May 21, 2018
      Recent

      KarmSolar receives USD 3 million to develop Farafra Solar Grid

      January 11, 2023

      AD Ports Group reports strong growth

      January 3, 2023

      Hyosung Heavy Industries to start construction on South African energy storage project

      December 12, 2022
    • Business & Trade
      1. Agri-Business
      2. Entrepreneurship
      3. FDI
      4. Legislative
      5. MEA
      6. Telecoms
      7. Properties
      Featured

      Analysts predict bullish future for Nigeria’s REITs market

      Business Business & Trade January 21, 2018
      Recent

      Gold-for-oil: Ghana attempts to address forex pressures

      January 18, 2023

      AD Ports Group reports strong growth

      January 3, 2023

      “Made in Libya” to promote economy and trade

      December 30, 2022
    • Finance
      1. Banking
      2. Islamic finance
      Featured

      Social investment platform InvestSky raises USD 3.4 million

      Business Entrepreneurship Finance January 12, 2023
      Recent

      Social investment platform InvestSky raises USD 3.4 million

      January 12, 2023

      African startups face challenges in 2023

      January 10, 2023

      MENA startups raised USD 125 million in December

      January 6, 2023
    • Innovation
    Gulf Africa ReviewGulf Africa Review
    Business

    Eritrean mining lawsuit against Nevsun quiets Qatari investment

    January 14, 20153 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Eritreans have sued Canadian mining firm Nevsun over human rights following an expression of interest by Qatari mining-focused fund QKR

    Three Eritrean refugees have filed a lawsuit against a Canadian mining firm over claims that it conspired with the Eritrean government to force them and other conscripted workers to work at the Bisha copper mine for long hours and little pay while living in squalid conditions.

    The legal action followed just weeks after QKR Corporation, a mining fund backed by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, held discussions on a $1bn bid for Canada’s Nevsun Resources, which owns 60% the Bisha mine alongside Eritrean state-owned contractor Segen Construction. I got serious burns from the sun. Because of these conditions, and because of how little we were fed, I was always weak and exhausted.

    The men, who now live in an Ethiopian refugee camp, say they were conscripted into the Eritrean army before being made to work “unfairly long hours without enough salary, proper medical services, good shelter [or] enough food”.

    Eritrea’s harsh national service programme, which requires all citizens over the age of 18 to enlist in the military or work for state-run companies, was linked to the exploitation of workers in the country’s mining sector in a 2013 report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

    One of the refugees, Gize Yebeyo Araya, told his lawyers that he worked at Bisha until March 2011, and Segen paid him less than 500 nakfa ($33) a month to dispose of dangerous chemicals, including sulphur, that were generated during the mining process. Related article Botswana leads the African continent in the latest Global Peace Index

    Botswana ranks as the 36th most peaceful country according to study from the Institute for Economics and Peace

    “Work consisted of laying a large plastic sheet on the ground to hold the toxic chemical waste,” he said. “The heat was extreme when working. I got serious burns from the sun. I still have the scars from some of these burns on my face. Because of these conditions, and because of how little we were fed, I was always weak and exhausted.”

    The human right watch report noted that foreign mining firms eyeing Eritrea’s mineral reserves are in danger of “walking into a minefield of human rights problems”, as nearly the entire workforce is enrolled in the country’s national service programme.

    Four more international mines are set to open in Eritrea over the next two years, with 17 foreign companies exploring potential sites.

    Qatar’s QKR approaches Eritrean mining interest Nevsun Resources

    Luckily for QKR, Nevsun remained tight-lipped about the possible approach by Qatar’s QKR, which initially saw the company’s stock leap by 25% prior to a valuation of roughly $940m.

    QKR last purchased AngloGold Ashanti’s Navachab mine in Namibia for $110m in July, along its guidelines of seeking assets closely linked to production or struggling with their finance.

    It predicts a production of 80,000-90,000 tonnes of copper this year and the start its first production of zinc at the site, located 150km west of Asmara, from the beginning of 2016.

    Nevsun reported sales of $416.3m and a profit of $71.5m for the first nine months of 2014, producing 65,100 tonnes of copper in concentrate with a working capital of $519m, including $380m of cash and $113m in current receivables.

    South African miner DRA opens office in Oman

    I got serious burns from the sun. Because of these conditions, and because of how little we were fed, I was always weak and exhausted.

    AngloGold Ashanti Bisha copper mine eritrea Human Rights Watch lawsuit mining Nevsun Resources QKR Corporation Segen construction
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Telegram Email
    Previous ArticleKuwait finances $36m highway construction in Senegal
    Next Article Mohammed Dewji wins African philanthropy award in Dubai

    Related Posts

    Business Innovation Startups

    MENA startups raised almost USD 4 billion in 2022

    January 30, 2023
    Business Entrepreneurship

    Autochek acquires KIFAL Auto, expands to North Africa

    January 27, 2023
    Business Entrepreneurship

    Wafeq raises USD 3 million in seed round

    January 26, 2023
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    LATEST STORIES

    MENA startups raised almost USD 4 billion in 2022

    January 30, 2023

    Autochek acquires KIFAL Auto, expands to North Africa

    January 27, 2023

    Wafeq raises USD 3 million in seed round

    January 26, 2023

    African startups double debt financing

    January 25, 2023

    Matbakhi raises USD 2.3 million in pre-Seed round

    January 24, 2023
    • Business
      • Agri-Business
      • Entrepreneurship
      • FDI
      • Legislative
      • MEA
      • Properties
      • Telecoms
    • Infrastructure
      • Airport
      • Hospitality
      • Ports
      • Power
      • Rail
      • Roads
      • Transport
    • Finance
      • Banking
      • Islamic finance
    • Commodities
      • Agri commodities
      • Metals & minerals
      • Precious metals
    • Culture & Society
      • Education
      • Energy
    GAR logo
    © GulfAfricaReview.com 2014-2022, All Rights Reserved.

    Gulf Africa Review is a trade news and future networking platform for businesses leaders and trade organisations, established to first inform and secondly assist in facilitating the ongoing business and trade relations between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Sub-Saharan Africa. We aim to provide an apolitical voice for this channel of economic activity in a way that benefits both geographies by improving the availability of information about market events, developments and opportunities, while publicising the successes achieved by this ever-broadening regional relationship.

      Subscribe to our newsletter

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.