The fight over Ghana’s illegal gold rush exposes election risks
The environmental damage has triggered a wave of protest in the capital Accra demanding a ban on all small-scale mining operations in places like Tarkwa.
Media reports from East Africa on Saturday claimed that a gold mine partly owned by Canadian company Nevsun Resources (NYSE:NSU, TSX:NSU) was hit by Ethiopian fighter jets.
At least two media outlets confirmed the report, including Tigrai Online, an Ethiopian daily news site which stated that the Bisha mine, located 150 kilometres from Asmara, Eritrea, was a target of two bombing raids conducted on Friday. The other target was the military depot at Mai Edaga Tikul.
An attempt to contact Nevsun at their Vancouver office on Sunday, seeking the veracity of the media reports, was unsuccessful.
However in an operational update on Sunday, the company stated that “While there was an act of vandalism at the Bisha plant late last week, there was no significant impact to operations and no personnel were harmed.”:
The Bisha Mine experienced an act of vandalism on March 20 during the nightshift in which minor damages were sustained to the base of the tailings thickener, resulting in the release of water into the plant area. The required repairs and cleanup from the incident were minor and are incorporated into the plant re-start later this week. Additional safeguards have been adopted to ensure site and personnel safety and security while the Eritrean and mine security forces undertake an investigation.
Eritrea is widely considered to be a state sponsor of terrorism, including planned attacks on its neighbours. The tiny Red Sea State won independence from Ethiopia in 1993. In 2012 the U.S. Treasury Department placed sanctions on several Eritrean government officials and froze their assets for supporting al-Shabaab, Al-Qaeda’s branch in Somalia.
The Bisha mine is 60-percent owned by Nevsun and 40 percent by the government of Eritrea.
51 Comments
Hello World
Ridiculous MINING.COM…Your Credibility is at stake. You should immediately take down these nonsense you are quoting from unverified political websites and none existent Sudanese Newspaper. You are the ones who are going to be quoted from now on, How the Hell did Eritrea have skirmish with Somalia and they don’t even share a border.
Ethiopia is at crossroads, May elections are detrimental to the existence of TPLF, TPLF is looking for a war to hoodwink Ethiopians but there is no way these time. TPLF can’t bomb now, if it did it is over for total out war in the HORN OF AFRICA.
Dave
Meanwhile, in credible news, Bisha mine is on track to restart this week…..
http://www.nevsun.com/news/2015/march22/
Abdi
Unless confirmed by Nevsun it is fake news.
Dave
Mining.com takes a major credibility blow this with sensational, false, and outrageously phony Kansas soccer mom type of reporting.
John
Has mining.com become a propaganda tool to the Ethiopian Government? This isn’t news worthy for all we know news source came from the enemy of Eritrea (Woyane).
Hello World
It is not African Media,
It is African Political Garbage News Websites…You fall trap for the luck of Media in the region. You should totally take it down. You have two links now, the first link is still available in twitter. What a shame unfolding.
TesfaNews
Unconfirmed, biased and entirely false rumor taken as a news item by mining.com ?? Are you guys that serious??
Here is the truth from the horse’s mouth and please take down this propaganda kind of report
http://www.nevsun.com/news/2015/march22/
samxa
I thought April fool’s day was 8 days from now. The idiot who made this post must be living on Mars.
Hello World
“two media outlets confirmed”…you mean two Trolling websites, they are not news websites.
RIP MINING.COM
Hello World
Crowd Funding for Legal Action Against http://WWW.MINING.COM
John
Guys beware. Such news does feed into the psychological warfare. Woyane knows quite well that by relasing such news it benefits them as it does undermine and weaken HIGDF’s rule. Unlike HIGDF, the Woyanes are very Good at this!! Therefore when such news breaks out what should Shabiya do? If i was them I would straight away bring indepenent news reporter to visit the mining plant and report to counter such unreliable news. Unfortunately HIGDF lack many qualities when it comes to this department.
sahle
Though somehow i do agree with you that the Government Of Eritrea is not as good as the Weyanes in the propaganda staff, i don’t absolutely agree with you on the issue on bringing independent reporters to counter their report.
Andy
Concerned investor here, does this mean that we can sue Nevsun because they put our investment at risk? opening up a gold mine in a dangerous and unregulated location is playing with our money plus I heard reports of using slave laborers. also what’s up with the troll comments on here, looks like there’s a cover up of some sort.
-Andrew C.
Andom Habte
Please don’t invest in companies like this. I am Eritrean and I am ashamed that our government is doing this to us. The military men who work there are basically 21st c slaves.
Nevsun101
You are troll. Nevsun’s Annual Information Form clearly indicates the risks associated with the company.
salim
here is the minor vandalism
lucas
are you from the exact place or were you with the air plane that bombed ? I am quite amused with your lies. You reported the bombing was 4.Am and you expect us to trust you this picture . do the planes bomb oil field or gas storage ? Just asking
Ali
This is very good aproach dones by who ever because the owners(lowlanders) are deprived of their right and the Esayas government was using all the resources. This is good start that the Esayas government is going. Lowelanders are going to be freed
Hello World
Too Many Lies and Deceit these days.
Look at these two photos from two different news reports.
Crazy and Bamboozled World!
Gash Barka
This is a good start. beginning of the end of the afwerki regime and his loyalist of highlander Tigrinya kebessa mafia gang. Eritrea will be free soon!!!!! INSHALLAH (GOD WILLING)
Photoshop
Fake News
Eritrean Government
We can’t confirm nor deny the reports. We are doing internal investigation.
Mebrahtu
“Eritrea is widely considered to be a state sponsor of terrorism, including planned attacks on its neighbours.
The tiny Red Sea State won independence from Ethiopia in 1993. In 2012
the U.S. Treasury Department placed sanctions on several Eritrean
government officials and froze their assets for supporting al-Shabaab,
Al-Qaeda’s branch in Somalia”. This sort of perspective needs quite a significant research as it becomes outdated.
Param Tel
If the story is true,then why the Ethiopian government is attacking Eritrean soil?Ethiopians should know from now on wards ,Any war against Eritrea will result Ethiopian distraction.We the Eritrean people are seek and tired of their 40 years of war and propaganda.Enough is Enough!
Param Tel
The news is fake.I have confirmed.
deedub93
If it was during the night shift, why do the photos show daylight? I’ve lived and worked at Bisha and it is dark there at 18:30 in the summer and at about 17:50 in the winter.
etetu
editor, I do not think this is a factual report. You need to confirm; seems even electronic reporting requires “do diligence”.
Bulcha
Just by looking at the reaction in this blog, one can see the news must indeed be true. The over reaction, the insults and all stuff going around attest to that. If nothing has happened, why all the fuss? Alarming, to say the least!
This apparent over reaction also confirms that the brutal regime in Asmara, whom Nevsun has chosen to work with, has blind defenders of its destabilizing activities*, akin to the NAZI propaganda outlets of WWII.
* http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2014/727
Ephrem Amare
The news can’t be changed to be fake coz a number of Eritrea’s pro-government tried to comment here, we are not voting for news here.
It public info that the government is behind the terrorist activity in East Africa and that is why the country in is under UN sanction.
We Eritrean are under dictatorship and the revenue is being used to empower the dictatorship and sponsor terrorism.
Joseph
Dear commenters this is not NAZI Germany, you cannot silence reporting by intimidation, abuse, harassment, threats, etc.. if you want to prove these allegations as incorrect you should open up your country to international independent objective reporters from different outlets. from what i hear Eritrea is the worst prison for journalists, creating an information black hole! its your fault in the first place!!!
youngpfdj
It is surprising for professional website to carry such uncorroborated news in thier pages. If Jet Fighter planes have attacked a western owned commercial company, you would expect independent news organisation such us Reuters or similar organisations would carry the news. However, this False news was reported without any Source in notorious websites that are widely known as tools for Ethiopian Ruling party who has an axe to grind against Eritrea.
Nevsun is a secure, stable and profitable company and anyone who try to sabotage the operation should be condemned in the strongest terms.
young gullible and dumb
Also surprising how many of your hitler youth commenters flooded this website within minutes of this article being posted.
if it wasn’t true, you wouldn’t be that worried, but from the comments i see u are very worried.
And i think most people have an axe to grind against the eritrean regime which kills and jails people with no due process
lucas
Why we are consumed by lies over lies . Do we need to do this to tell the world that IA is a dictator ? We have so many evidence he is a dictator but , why do we need to lie over his so much crime.
Almuntasir
mebrahtu hmm!!!! you have nothing to say your own except to repeat what you read above as a copy cat of this news editor who based his news untruthfuly 3days later & his comments based on hate of eritrea repeating what unti eritreans say instead having his own source of news. mebrahtu !!!!! you spent my valued time which warth our bisha gold but i had to respond you to correct you not to be a fellower again & not to comment or talk on what you do not know..
lucas
Most Ethiopian and Eritrean websites are married to lies and i have no idea if they are webistes to inform the Eritrean and Ethiopian people or they just happens to be lairs. Why lies . Your credibility hangs on the balance of telling the truth and also keeping neutral role. tigraion line.com , asmarino independent.com , awate.com. awrama.com all other webistes lie time over time . Look at them now, they lost every credibility , even the majority of people do not trust them when they report true story .
lucas
Dear Michael McCrae,Frederik Els, Editor and Cecilia Jamasmie,
How come you allow your website to be a propaganda machine , It is true Eritrea is governed by dictator but to put your news from Tigraionline and asmarino independent is quite misplacing your site to some low level of political arm. Why and how is this benefiting for reporting on true news ?
brhane
LUCAS ” U are dead wrong to my understanding you yourself are not from the Eritrean origin cause an Eritrean has never Betray his or her own country. Eritrea has never been governed by dictator. Our dynamic government is a liberator and working for the sake of the people Only stupid people can write such ugly and unaccepted phrases in contrary to all your clam in reality and logic too Eritrea’s government as well its dynamic leaders and the people of Eritrea are working very hard to make a change to their country and the people. Shame for those Woyani puppets and their messengers who are trying to twist the truth.and writing every lies that has never existed. What I would say is woyani puppets are free to deform the image of my country but does any reader pay attention for their cheap lies. ? Thanks God Eritrea has a noble history.
AWET Nhafash Eri Youth Brhane Andai
chala
if it is true ,it is senseless act.
Hello World
The First Article was taken down because of complaints, these is a modified version.
Bulcha
The one million dollar question remains, why would Nevsun, a company highly sensitive to public interest, refuse to verify the news to mining.com?
almuntasir
No Eritrean can deny the negative thing is going on in Eritrea,such as unjustified imprisoment of political prisoners who are getting un known where they gone with no trial,no court judgment and no accountablity of leaders that they are above the law.
We all Eritrean loving nationalist Eritreans in general we may agree & strongly disagree with Eritrean gov.leaders but we all as one tru Eritrean Lovers,We never accept or support of any kind ethiopian & others our known stratigic enemies to attack any Eritrean sights such as Bisha or myedaga or Attacks on QoHawta Asmera.Because this is the distruction of rebuilding our ecconomy & nation at this very hard un sanctions time.
At the same time ,No Eritrean is going to be happy & will never be glad to see our brave Eritrean soldiers & our Intelligence&lawenforcement forces who are keeping Eritrea the peaceful nation in africa,defeated,injured & killed in the hand of their fellow Eritreans who so called Eritrean armed oppositions who are right hand tools & puchilla of their masters weyane who are very eager to see & work hard for Our Eritrea’s distraction.
” our brave heroes men&women tegadelti they brought our independence by paying high sacrifices and by saying when they go to war use to say KULU BIRET YEQNA”A ANTSAR QEDAMAY TSELAE which they mean we have to focus all our energy and point our weapons united as Eritrean against our first enemy ethiopian government and forces before any thing. = when they are in the edgde of death they use to say AWET NEHAFASH.we have to repeat ,respect and keep this our marthys hadera.
We Eritrean known not to accept defeat or no to let outsiders to interfer in our domestic problems.
I am a true beliver of ” Eritrean problems solutions ,has to come only by Eritreans.”
I am against any kind of foreighn interfering in Eritrean domestic problems.
I say to the whole body of the united nations organization in general & specially UN human rights watch as follows:-(1 where were you when our people was slughtered by military sanga knives & burned in their homes and burried alive in the hand by haileselasie forces.(2)where were you when our people stepped over alive by enemy tanks or bombed & gased by internationaly prohibited nabalm bomb& poison gas by mengistu hailemariams forces. (3) Where were you when our people bombed our women raped & our children sloughtered in the hand of meles zenawi people. (4 ) Where are you to day when our teritory our land of bademe accupied by ethiopian forces today against un & international law refusing to exit from our land.Insted you UN people Eritrea under unjustifed sanctions.
As I would like to say to the UN human rights watch,Thank you on your recent report of human rights violation in eritrea.that’s based on truth.It is a good sighn now that giving attention to Eritrean domestic problems.
I have the advise & solutions for this problems:- (a) lift up this unjustified united nations sanctions from Eritrea which it’s a main unjustified punishment made against our civilians creating the lack of food ,elctricity lack of ecconomy and job for our youth in eritrea .(b) force ethiopian military to exit from Eritrea’s accupied land bademe..(c) help eritrean refugees in midle east,in sudan,ethiopia,africa &in the west countries, to get residency&citizenship to make some thing of them selves and be able to do some thing good in the future for their hosting countries.
At the end we as Eritrean people we care and concern for the well been of our naighboring ethiopian people that why The UN HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH please investigate the current ethiopian government led by weyane for murder & slaughter of innocent ethiopian civilians of ogaden,gambela,tigray most of all for the loss and unknown where their about the 2 million lives of amhara and for the violation of freedom of religion aginst ethiopian muslim and christian faces.
Wedi Wucho
Its now confirmed, my cousin was working at the plant, he confirms many machineries were damaged, nobody was killed.
Ethiopiawi Berta
The best language that isayASS understands is THE STICK. Good silencer
brhane Andai
ADAM ”
Where are you Adam ? Please get continue and try to write any thing that you have in mind, it is free press however instead writing things that have a hate and insults with no concrete evidences write something that gives a taste for your readers.
Awet Nhafash Eritrean Youth Brhane Andai
brhane Andai
Mr Mebrahtu
– WEDI HAYELOM – Mr NATHAN – Mr Theshoa I’m waiting your posting please do write what is in your mind. As an Eritrean youth I’m very proud for being from Eritrean family and I will not hesitate to answer your and I’m waiting. . AWET NHAFASH Eri Youth Brhane A
brhane Andai
Mr ADAM…….where are you ? Don’t give up please try and get continue posting your mail but it has to be based with realities and the truth,
Awet Nhafash Eri Youth Brhane A
Ezana
The news absolutely true the Ethiopian government may not used fixed wing jets, but it might have used like drones or misiles. here is A leading Eritrean opposition party condemns Ethiopia’s alleged attack on EritreaEPDP condemns Ethiopia’s alleged missile attack as “unwarranted action on the territorial sovereignty of the state of Eritrea.”
brhane
Hayelom – Nathan – Theshoa – Aman Where are you ? why are you hiding. Thanks to DISQUS It is free press. Why are you retreating from writing your comments. ?
It si not bad if I post that I’m Eritrean and I’m proud of my nationality as well proud of my Eritrean people as a whole. Please continue to write
brhane
Mr Nathan, I’m very proud for being an Eritrean, because I have a wise and patient full Eritrean population and above all proud too for having a strong and dynamic government. We Eritreans specially the new generation are very keen to follow our countries of origin in day in day out basis.
However the factory of lies being posted by Woyani of Tigray is considered to be an old fashioned one. They have been used so many tactics using Eritrean names only for deforming my beloved country for years. Those few Utopian of Tigrey origin the woyani vagabond were fabricating enormous of lies for a decade and this is considered by our Eritreans population as a foolish act. The Utopians not the majority, but WOYANI in particular what they know is only how to post mails of HATE and write a fabricated tale tale stories by using Eritrean names. Is any reader has enough time to hear or read mails of HATE and lies ? I guess not.
GOD BLESS ERITREA – ITS HEROIC
POPULATION AND TO OUR DYNAMIC ERITREAN GOVERNMENT. Eritrea is moving by its own
for the better future.
Brhane Andai
SHILOH23PURIFOY
Great read! I agree that The Eritrean people are wise and patient, and are working hard for a
change and fix their better future. Thanks to our dynamic leaders we are
moving for the better. Mr Adam be civilized and try to post things
that are with realities and based with facts so that readers may get a
hints. By the way, My colleagues required VA 10-10HS earlier today and located a web
service that has lots of sample forms . If you need VA 10-10HS too ,
here’s
"https://goo.gl/SkhCoj".KYUNG BROWNLOW
Good article, Thanks!