Eritrea criticises Canadian company Nevsun’s attitude

ASMARA, Sept 23 (AFP) — The Eritrean authorities Thursday criticised statements made by Nevsun, one of several foreign mining companies ordered by the Eritrean government on September 2 to shut down, accusing it of “politicising” events.

“The Eritrean government has chosen not to take statements by Nevsun Resources Limited seriously,” a statement posted on the information ministry’s website said.

“A final word of advice though: Try to refrain from politicizing purely business matters,” it added.

Nevsun last month announced that it had discovered high-grade gold and copper during a series of test drillings in the Western Eritrea region of Bisha.

Nevsun President and Chief Executive Officer John Clarke was in Asmara from September 8 to 16 in an effort “to get a better understanding of the directive by the Eritrean government to halt all exploration work”, the company said in a statement posted on its website Monday.

“The government has not provided any clarification of their directive,” Nevsun’s statement said, pointing out that it “will continue to comply with the government’s directive.”

The directive could mean that, following the discovery, the Eritrean government wants to renegotiate the foreign companies’ contracts, several diplomatic sources, who requested anonymity, said in Asmara.

Among the companies told to close, four are Canadian — Nevsun Resources Ltd., Sanu Resources Ltd., Sunridge Gold Corp. and Northern Mining Explorations Ltd.