Young Eritreans peacefully stormed Eritrean embassy in Rome, Italy, yesterday 29 /01 /2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Eritreans unrest ,Protesters stormed the Eritrean embassy in Rome , Italy
Young Eritreans peacefully stormed Eritrean embassy in Rome, Italy, yesterday 29 /01 /2013
Former Eritrean minister Ali Abdu interviewed with Swedish newspaper
 |
| Former Eritrean minister of information Ali Abdu Ahmed |
Ali Abdu Ahmed, minister of information, disappeared in November during a business trip to Europe, and was now at an undisclosed location, the newspaper Expressen said, citing an exclusive interview with him.
Since Ali, 47, feared for his security he did not dare to be interviewed over the telephone. One of his brothers, who lives in the United States, served as intermediary.
Ali would not comment on why he defected or his whereabouts, and was "in deep shock" over learning that his father, another brother and 15-year-old daughter had been arrested in Eritrea, shortly after his defection, the newspaper said.
Sweden‘s ties with Eritrea have been strained over the fate of a Swedish-Eritrean journalist who has been held in an Eritrean prison without trial since 2003. Little has been heard from Dawit Issak .
Ali said that only the "president (Isaias Afwerki) and his closest security chief had information about Isaak. Not even the police chief knows."
He said there was "an unwritten law" among government members not to discuss matters "unrelated to your specific brief."
"You carry out orders without asking why," Ahmed said.
Human rights groups and opposition members allege that serious abuses are taking place in the country.
Expressen‘s editor-in-chief Thomas Mattsson called for Isaak‘s release in an open letter. The newspaper is one of several media organizations that have regularly urged Isaak‘s release.
Isaak sought asylum in Sweden in 1987 and became a citizen in 1992. Some eight years later he returned to Eritrea to work for the independent weekly Setit.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Eritrean refugees disappearing from Shagarab camp
On the 25th January 2013 The United Nations refugee agency called for international action to stop forced
disappearances from camps in eastern Sudan that house Eritrean refugees,
who may be held for ransom or trafficked for the purpose of forced
marriage, sexual exploitation or bonded labour.
“Over the last two years we have seen people disappearing from the Shagarab camps – some of them kidnapped, and others believed paying to be smuggled elsewhere,” Melissa Fleming, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said at a briefing in Geneva.
“UNHCR calls on all national and international actors to step up efforts to counter criminal groups seeking to exploit refugees and asylum-seekers and to reduce the risks of kidnapping, smuggling and trafficking of people,” she said.
Ms. Fleming said that the agency’s Sudan office reported 619 people
having left the camps over the past two years, with 551 of them having
done so in 2012, in addition to unconfirmed cases. The number of
voluntary versus forced departures is difficult to ascertain, however,
she warned.
In the latest incidents, four refugee women were reportedly kidnapped from the Shagarab camps during the night and early morning of 22 January. Refugees in the camp, which hosts 29,445 people, had also reported the kidnapping of a refugee man the previous week.
In anger at these incidents, some refugees attacked members of one of
the local tribes who they thought were responsible, and the ensuing
violence left several injured among the host population and the
refugees. Calm has since been restored.
Based on numerous reports and individual interviews, Ms. Fleming said she was able to state that the main actors responsible for smuggling and human trafficking from eastern Sudan into Egypt are local tribesmen in eastern Sudan and in the Sinai, as well as some criminal gangs.
She said that UNHCR is working with the Sudanese authorities, the International Organization for Migration and other humanitarian agencies to reduce the risk of abductions and kidnappings in the area.
“The Government of Sudan has already deployed additional police and we are supporting the authorities to improve overall security, including with the construction and rehabilitation of police stations, provision of vehicles and communication equipment,” she said.
“UNHCR is also assisting the refugees in the Shagarab camps with setting up a community-based policing system to reduce security risks,” she added, reporting that the agency is also providing psycho-social counselling to survivors of trafficking as well as legal aid to those in detention.
UNHCR said that tens of thousands of Eritreans have been living as refugees in eastern Sudan for generations, while every month, some 2,000 asylum-seekers reach the Shagarab camps alone. Some come to escape military conscription, while others are motivated by a possibility of a better life elsewhere, according to the agency.
“Over the last two years we have seen people disappearing from the Shagarab camps – some of them kidnapped, and others believed paying to be smuggled elsewhere,” Melissa Fleming, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said at a briefing in Geneva.
“UNHCR calls on all national and international actors to step up efforts to counter criminal groups seeking to exploit refugees and asylum-seekers and to reduce the risks of kidnapping, smuggling and trafficking of people,” she said.
In the latest incidents, four refugee women were reportedly kidnapped from the Shagarab camps during the night and early morning of 22 January. Refugees in the camp, which hosts 29,445 people, had also reported the kidnapping of a refugee man the previous week.
 |
| Eritrea refugees in Shagarab Camp. |
Based on numerous reports and individual interviews, Ms. Fleming said she was able to state that the main actors responsible for smuggling and human trafficking from eastern Sudan into Egypt are local tribesmen in eastern Sudan and in the Sinai, as well as some criminal gangs.
She said that UNHCR is working with the Sudanese authorities, the International Organization for Migration and other humanitarian agencies to reduce the risk of abductions and kidnappings in the area.
“The Government of Sudan has already deployed additional police and we are supporting the authorities to improve overall security, including with the construction and rehabilitation of police stations, provision of vehicles and communication equipment,” she said.
“UNHCR is also assisting the refugees in the Shagarab camps with setting up a community-based policing system to reduce security risks,” she added, reporting that the agency is also providing psycho-social counselling to survivors of trafficking as well as legal aid to those in detention.
UNHCR said that tens of thousands of Eritreans have been living as refugees in eastern Sudan for generations, while every month, some 2,000 asylum-seekers reach the Shagarab camps alone. Some come to escape military conscription, while others are motivated by a possibility of a better life elsewhere, according to the agency.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Ten Christian Leaders Arrested in Eritrea
Ten Christian leaders have been arrested in Eritrea following an attempted coup in the nation, of which the Christians were not involved.
The persecution watch group Open Doors USA states that there have
been several systematic arrest efforts in recent years, but this
instance is particularly concerning to citizens as they believe that the
government is seeking to ”eradicate the underground church by targeting
its key leaders around the country.” All of the arrests dealt with
churches that have been banned in the nation.
As a result of the incident, several church leaders have gone into hiding. Despite the fear that they face, Christians in Eritea as stated to be in good spirits and are carrying on in the face of upheaval in the land.
The arrests took place following a coup attempt, where approximately 100 soldiers marched to the Ministry of Information offices and forced the director to read a statement that called for the release of the nation’s political prisoners. According to reports, following the announcement, the broadcast signal cut out and troops loyal to the government came and beat back the soldiers.
As previously reported, Christian persecution is said to be on the rise in Africa as Open Doors added a number of African countries to its “World Watch List” that had not been included in years past, and other nations moved up on the list. The “World Watch List” outlines the 50 most dangerous places to live as a Christian.
 |
| His Holiness Abune Antonios Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church arrested since may 2007 |
As a result of the incident, several church leaders have gone into hiding. Despite the fear that they face, Christians in Eritea as stated to be in good spirits and are carrying on in the face of upheaval in the land.
The arrests took place following a coup attempt, where approximately 100 soldiers marched to the Ministry of Information offices and forced the director to read a statement that called for the release of the nation’s political prisoners. According to reports, following the announcement, the broadcast signal cut out and troops loyal to the government came and beat back the soldiers.
As previously reported, Christian persecution is said to be on the rise in Africa as Open Doors added a number of African countries to its “World Watch List” that had not been included in years past, and other nations moved up on the list. The “World Watch List” outlines the 50 most dangerous places to live as a Christian.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
More from VOA about Eritrean ministry siege
ኣብ ኣህጉራዊ ጉጅለ ቅልውላው ዲረክተር ፕሮጀክት ቀርኒ ኣፍሪቃ ብወገኑ፡ መቐጸልታ ናይቲ ክርኣይ ዝጸንሐ ተኸታታሊ ተቓውሞ`ዩ ይብል
ንኽልቲኡ ርእይቶታትን ካልእን ዝሓዘ መደብ ኣብ ናይ ዓርቢ መደብ ተፈኒዩ`ሎ፡ ምስማዕ ይክኣል፡
http://tigrigna.voanews.com/content/eritrea-soldiers-protest/1591244.html
መብዛሕትኡ ብተቃወምቲ ዝተቃለሐ ፀብፃባት ሓሰት‘ዩ ይብል ማዶተዳትካም።እቲ ገምጋም ወሲኹ፣ንፈረንሳዊ ጋዜጠኛ ሌኦናርድ ቪንሰንትን ጋዜጠኛ ቢቢሲ ማርቲን ፕላትን፣ኣብ ኤርትራ ህውከት ንክፍጠር ዓሊሞም ዘይተረጋገፀ ወረ ዝፍንው ኢሉ ይነቅፍ።
ቪንሰንት ግና ኣነን ማ ማርቲንን ነቲ ኩነታት ዕልዋ ኢልና ኣይገለፅናዮን፣ሓቅነት እቲ ሪፖርትና ግና ኣይንጠራጠረሉን ይብል።
ንሱ ወሲኹ “ንዓና ኣብ ኤርትራ ናዕቢ ክውልዑ ኢሎም ምኽሳሶም ቅኑዕ ኣይኮነን። ኣነ ኾነ ማርቲን፡ ኩነታት ሰኑይ ዕላዋ`ዩ ኣይበልናን። ዝበልናዮ በንጻሩ`ዩ። ዘይተረጋገጸ ወረ ኸይንዛረብ ጥንቃቐ ከምዘድልየና`ውን ተዛሪብና ኢና። ሕጂ ግን ኣብ ዙርያ ዓለም ዘለዉ ደገፍቲ መንግስቲ፡ በቲ ባዕሉ መንግስቲ “ንእሽቶ ኩንታት” ክብል ዝኣመነሉ ኸይተረፈ ይኸሱና`ለዉ። ስለዚ ንሕና ዝኾነ ተሓተቲ ኣይኮናን፡ ነቲ ክብሃል ዝኽእል ኢና ዝበልና” በለ።
ምስ ኮሎኔል ተስፋሚካኤል እምባዬ (ሕፉን) ዝተካየደ ቃለ-ምልልስ እውን ኣብ‘ዚ መደብ‘ዚ ኣሎ።ብቅደም-ሳዓብ ተኸታተሉ።
http://tigrigna.voanews.com/content/article/1590457.html
ንኽልቲኡ ርእይቶታትን ካልእን ዝሓዘ መደብ ኣብ ናይ ዓርቢ መደብ ተፈኒዩ`ሎ፡ ምስማዕ ይክኣል፡
http://tigrigna.voanews.com/content/eritrea-soldiers-protest/1591244.html
መብዛሕትኡ ብተቃወምቲ ዝተቃለሐ ፀብፃባት ሓሰት‘ዩ ይብል ማዶተዳትካም።እቲ ገምጋም ወሲኹ፣ንፈረንሳዊ ጋዜጠኛ ሌኦናርድ ቪንሰንትን ጋዜጠኛ ቢቢሲ ማርቲን ፕላትን፣ኣብ ኤርትራ ህውከት ንክፍጠር ዓሊሞም ዘይተረጋገፀ ወረ ዝፍንው ኢሉ ይነቅፍ።
ቪንሰንት ግና ኣነን ማ ማርቲንን ነቲ ኩነታት ዕልዋ ኢልና ኣይገለፅናዮን፣ሓቅነት እቲ ሪፖርትና ግና ኣይንጠራጠረሉን ይብል።
ንሱ ወሲኹ “ንዓና ኣብ ኤርትራ ናዕቢ ክውልዑ ኢሎም ምኽሳሶም ቅኑዕ ኣይኮነን። ኣነ ኾነ ማርቲን፡ ኩነታት ሰኑይ ዕላዋ`ዩ ኣይበልናን። ዝበልናዮ በንጻሩ`ዩ። ዘይተረጋገጸ ወረ ኸይንዛረብ ጥንቃቐ ከምዘድልየና`ውን ተዛሪብና ኢና። ሕጂ ግን ኣብ ዙርያ ዓለም ዘለዉ ደገፍቲ መንግስቲ፡ በቲ ባዕሉ መንግስቲ “ንእሽቶ ኩንታት” ክብል ዝኣመነሉ ኸይተረፈ ይኸሱና`ለዉ። ስለዚ ንሕና ዝኾነ ተሓተቲ ኣይኮናን፡ ነቲ ክብሃል ዝኽእል ኢና ዝበልና” በለ።
ምስ ኮሎኔል ተስፋሚካኤል እምባዬ (ሕፉን) ዝተካየደ ቃለ-ምልልስ እውን ኣብ‘ዚ መደብ‘ዚ ኣሎ።ብቅደም-ሳዓብ ተኸታተሉ።
http://tigrigna.voanews.com/content/article/1590457.html
Eritreans unrest ,Protesters stormed the Eritrean embassy in London
Protesters on Thursday stormed the Eritrean embassy in London in support of dissident soldiers who reportedly sieged Eritrea's information ministry in Asmara on Monday.
The soldiers forced
Asmelash Abreha, the director of Eritrean state television, to call for
the release of political prisoners on air. State media stopped its
broadcast following the announcement, but was back within hours.
Protesters in the UK respond to reported siege of Eritrea's information ministry.
Protesters in the UK respond to reported siege of Eritrea's information ministry.
Eritrea denies there was attempted coup in Eritrea
Eritrea dismissed reports Saturday that a protest by mutinous
soldiers seeking political reform, a rare challenge to the authoritarian
regime of the Horn of Africa nation, was a coup attempt.
In the first formal response since soldiers briefly seized the information ministry on Monday in the capital Asmara, Eritrea's ambassador to the African Union Girma Asmerom said that reports of a coup had been "wishful thinking".
Some opposition groups had initially said the protest -- which ended peacefully after a few hours when soldiers agreed to leave the ministry -- had aimed to topple the hardline regime of President Issaias Afeworki.
"All over the world an armed, crazy,
stupid and terrorist individual or group can take stupid actions such as
kidnapping of individuals or taking hostages by raiding government and
private institutions and offices," a statement read.
"Such isolated incidents, which frequently occur in the West, are considered terrorist acts. I don?t understand why in Africa they are considered coup d'etats. It is the highest form of double standard and hypocrisy."
European diplomats in Asmara reported that tanks and troops were seen Monday at the ministry complex, the site of a former hilltop fort that towers over the highland capital.
Opposition parties are banned and those that challenge Issaias -- who has ruled the Horn of Africa nation with an iron grip since independence in 1993 -- are jailed without trial, often in the harshest of conditions.
"Rest assured that the president is healthy, and Eritrea is a peaceful country," Girma added, boasting that there would "never be a coup" as Eritrea is a "society built on trust."
The statement made no mention of reports by opposition websites on Friday that Asmara had launched a purge of top leaders following the reported mutiny.
The reports, including by Awate.com and Asmarino.com, could not be confirmed independently, although Eritreans in the capital Asmara said there had been numerous arrests.
If confirmed, the arrests would echo the regime's political purge of 2001, when 15 top officials who wrote an open letter calling for democratic reforms -- dubbed the Group of 15, or G-15 -- were jailed or fled into exile.
Several of the G-15 -- accused of treason although they have never been tried -- are believed to have since died in brutal prison conditions.
Impoverished Eritrea falls below North Korea on the Press Freedom Index of the Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, ranking last out of 179 countries.
Independent media were shut down after Issaias' draconian purge in 2001, while Eritrea expelled the last registered foreign correspondent in 2010.
In the first formal response since soldiers briefly seized the information ministry on Monday in the capital Asmara, Eritrea's ambassador to the African Union Girma Asmerom said that reports of a coup had been "wishful thinking".
Some opposition groups had initially said the protest -- which ended peacefully after a few hours when soldiers agreed to leave the ministry -- had aimed to topple the hardline regime of President Issaias Afeworki.
 |
| Issaias Afeworki has ruled the nation with an iron grip since independence |
"Such isolated incidents, which frequently occur in the West, are considered terrorist acts. I don?t understand why in Africa they are considered coup d'etats. It is the highest form of double standard and hypocrisy."
European diplomats in Asmara reported that tanks and troops were seen Monday at the ministry complex, the site of a former hilltop fort that towers over the highland capital.
Opposition parties are banned and those that challenge Issaias -- who has ruled the Horn of Africa nation with an iron grip since independence in 1993 -- are jailed without trial, often in the harshest of conditions.
"Rest assured that the president is healthy, and Eritrea is a peaceful country," Girma added, boasting that there would "never be a coup" as Eritrea is a "society built on trust."
The statement made no mention of reports by opposition websites on Friday that Asmara had launched a purge of top leaders following the reported mutiny.
The reports, including by Awate.com and Asmarino.com, could not be confirmed independently, although Eritreans in the capital Asmara said there had been numerous arrests.
If confirmed, the arrests would echo the regime's political purge of 2001, when 15 top officials who wrote an open letter calling for democratic reforms -- dubbed the Group of 15, or G-15 -- were jailed or fled into exile.
Several of the G-15 -- accused of treason although they have never been tried -- are believed to have since died in brutal prison conditions.
Impoverished Eritrea falls below North Korea on the Press Freedom Index of the Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, ranking last out of 179 countries.
Independent media were shut down after Issaias' draconian purge in 2001, while Eritrea expelled the last registered foreign correspondent in 2010.
Girma Asmerom denies there was attempted coup in Eritrea
 |
| Girma Asmerom, Eritrea's ambassador to the African Union |
Girma Asmerom, Eritrea's ambassador to the African Union, said in a statement Saturday that coup reports were "wishful thinking" by people he did not name.
Without explaining the incidents on Monday, Asmerom wrote of "terrorist acts" being called an attempted coup.
But activists and experts said about 100 dissident soldiers stormed the state broadcasting at Ministry of Information in the capital, Asmara, and read a statement vowing to free all political prisoners and implement country's constitution.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Eritrea, Canadian Company Using Forced Labor in Mines
The government of Eritrea and a Canadian company together constructed
mines worth billions of dollars in Eritrea, using forced labor
described as abusive by a Humans Rights Watch report.
It is just the latest in a phenomenon that is seen across the African continent, as Western-based multinational corporations rake in billions using cheap labor to extract valuable minerals from the resource-rich African lands. This was the underlying cause that led to the strikes and ultimately a bloody massacre in Marikana, South Africa, last year, when police opened fire on striking mine workers, killing 34.
In Eritrea, according to Human Rights Watch, an international human rights group, workers were forced to work 12-hour days with an hour off in midday. They had only Sundays off and made $30 a month. But even worse, they were forbidden to leave the mines without authorization and were severely punished or imprisoned if they tried to leave. According to interviews done by Human Rights Watch, workers said they were poorly fed and did not have access to bathrooms.
In the meantime, last July, Nevsun, the company that jointly owns the mines with the government of Eritrea, said the Bisha mines held total copper reserves worth more than $1.6 billion and zinc reserves worth $4.4 billion.
Eritrea has already been sanctioned by the U.N. for human rights violations separate from those reported in the mines. When Nevsun’s local contractor, Segen, went in search of workers, it used largely conscripts from Eritrea’s national service program. The program requires an 18-month commitment from all able-bodied Eritreans, usually spent in military duties. The government, however, has forced many Eritreans to serve for an indefinite period of time.
“National service conscripts are often subjected to torture and other abusive forms of discipline. Many are forced to endure unhealthy living conditions and paltry remuneration that equates to just a few U.S. dollars per month. Conscripts who attempt to escape their service face imprisonment, torture, and other forms of human rights abuse. Their family members also face harassment and reprisal,” the report said.
Among the workers interviewed by Human Rights Watch, one said that he was imprisoned for four months when he defied orders not to attend a grandparent’s funeral.
Nevsun told Human Rights Watch that it did not know for certain whether forced workers had been used. Nevsun also said its efforts to investigate the allegations have been obstructed by their local contractor Segen.
The rights group warned international companies that want to explore Eritrea’s untapped mineral reserves that they should not be involved in human rights abuses.
It is just the latest in a phenomenon that is seen across the African continent, as Western-based multinational corporations rake in billions using cheap labor to extract valuable minerals from the resource-rich African lands. This was the underlying cause that led to the strikes and ultimately a bloody massacre in Marikana, South Africa, last year, when police opened fire on striking mine workers, killing 34.
In Eritrea, according to Human Rights Watch, an international human rights group, workers were forced to work 12-hour days with an hour off in midday. They had only Sundays off and made $30 a month. But even worse, they were forbidden to leave the mines without authorization and were severely punished or imprisoned if they tried to leave. According to interviews done by Human Rights Watch, workers said they were poorly fed and did not have access to bathrooms.
In the meantime, last July, Nevsun, the company that jointly owns the mines with the government of Eritrea, said the Bisha mines held total copper reserves worth more than $1.6 billion and zinc reserves worth $4.4 billion.
Eritrea has already been sanctioned by the U.N. for human rights violations separate from those reported in the mines. When Nevsun’s local contractor, Segen, went in search of workers, it used largely conscripts from Eritrea’s national service program. The program requires an 18-month commitment from all able-bodied Eritreans, usually spent in military duties. The government, however, has forced many Eritreans to serve for an indefinite period of time.
“National service conscripts are often subjected to torture and other abusive forms of discipline. Many are forced to endure unhealthy living conditions and paltry remuneration that equates to just a few U.S. dollars per month. Conscripts who attempt to escape their service face imprisonment, torture, and other forms of human rights abuse. Their family members also face harassment and reprisal,” the report said.
Among the workers interviewed by Human Rights Watch, one said that he was imprisoned for four months when he defied orders not to attend a grandparent’s funeral.
Nevsun told Human Rights Watch that it did not know for certain whether forced workers had been used. Nevsun also said its efforts to investigate the allegations have been obstructed by their local contractor Segen.
The rights group warned international companies that want to explore Eritrea’s untapped mineral reserves that they should not be involved in human rights abuses.
Sunridge Gold Begins Drilling Gold Cap at Kodadu, Asmara Project, Eritrea
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan 23, 2013 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Sunridge Gold Corp. (the "Company" or "Sunridge")
(sgc:TSX.V/SGCNF) is pleased to announce that a
reverse-circulation drill program has commenced on the Kodadu
volcanogenic-massive sulphide (VMS) target located on the Company's
Asmara Project in Eritrea, East Africa.
The program consisting of approximately 20 drill holes is specifically
targeting the oxide gold cap within the upper oxidized zones (known as
gossans) of the Kodadu VMS mineral occurrence. The goal of the program
is to rapidly define a resource that could be mined as feed to a central
gold plant near the large Emba Derho deposit.
"Although Sunridge's main focus has recently been completing the Asmara
Project feasibility study and moving the four established deposits on
the Asmara Project toward production, it is important to realize that
the area remains highly prospective for new gold and base metal
deposits" states Michael Hopley, Sunridge's President and CEO.
The Kodadu VMS target is located approximately 25 kilometres south of
the Emba Derho copper-zinc-gold-silver deposit. Several gossans trend
north-northeast for over a 1.2 kilometre strike length with an average
width of 10 metres and about 35 metres deep. A recent (2009) Sunridge
trenching program in which 87 samples were taken, returned 28 gold
values of over 0.2g/t and the best values were 10.67g/t over 14.7m,
2.3g/t over 8m and 1.79 g/t over 13.3m.
Gold mineralization that has been identified in a one kilometre shear
zone running parallel and about 100 metres west of the Kodadu gossans
will also be drill tested. Geological mapping has shown the zone to be
approximately 30 metres wide and historic gold values from trenches
sampled by a previous operator are reported as 3.85g/t over 50m; 2.05g/t
over 50m; and 11.87g/t over 8m.
Qualified Person
Mr. Michael J. Hopley is the Qualified Person who approved the technical
information contained in this news release.
About Sunridge:
Sunridge is a mineral exploration and development company focused on the
acquisition, exploration, discovery and development of base and precious
metal deposits on the Asmara Project in Eritrea and exploration
properties in Madagascar. Sunridge currently has approximately 175
million shares outstanding and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under
the symbol SGC. For additional information on the Company and its
projects please view the slide show on our website at
www.sunridgegold.com
or call Greg Davis at the numbers listed below.
SUNRIDGE GOLD CORP.
"Michael Hopley"
Michael Hopley, President and Chief Executive Officer
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider
(as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange)
accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based
on the Company's current expectations and estimates. Forward-looking
statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan",
"expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate",
"suggest", "indicate" and other similar words or statements that certain
events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Such forward-looking
statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially
from estimated or anticipated events or results implied or expressed in
such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among
others: the actual results of current exploration activities;
conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as
plans continue to be refined; possible variations in ore grade or
recovery rates; accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining
industry; delays in negotiating a shareholders' agreement with ENAMCO
and obtaining governmental approvals or financing; and fluctuations in
metal prices. There may be other factors that cause actions,
events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Any
forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made
and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the
Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or
results or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of
future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on
such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.
To view this press release as a webpage please click on the following
link:
http://www.usetdas.com/pr/sunridgegoldjan232013.htm
http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=bwnews&sty=20130123005305r1&sid=cmtx4&distro=nx
SOURCE: Sunridge Gold Corp.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Eritrea's champions of the future
The buzz at the Tropicale Amissa Bongo stage race in Gabon is all about the Eritreans.
Four
days into the race, the national squad leads the African teams'
classification and have five riders in the top twenty overall, having
matched strong European squads like Europcar and Lotto-Belisol blow for
blow. And all with a six-man team born entirely in the 1990s.
"They're the next Colombians," five-time Tour de France champion Bernard Hinault says.
Sitting in the Horn of Africa, Eritrea was colonised by the Italians in the late 19th century, who brought with them a love of ciclismo that has stuck.
 |
| Eritrean Cyclists in Gabon |
"They're going to have a lot more too," Hinault, at La Tropicale in an ambassadorial role, adds.
Softly-spoken Berhane is the shy neo-professional among his garrulous teammates, quiet at the dinner table with his hesitant future. But his ability on the bike makes him a serious prospect for the future.
Five months after starting training on a mountain bike in the capital Asmara, he won his national junior championships in 2006.
Last year, as part of the UCI World Cycling Centre team, he was up there in all the big U23 races, challenging at the Tour of Flanders, Giro della Toscana and Tour de l'Avenir.
"Cycling is like my bread and water," he tells CW under the shade of a giant manguiner tree before the start of stage four in Oyem.
"When I was little, only having dinner in Asmara, I first saw the Tour of Eritrea and I loved it."
So, what are his ambitions? "I want to improve in the Giro, though not this year, but we have to wait. Then there's the Tour of France. I think every day that one day I'll go and ride there.
For now, the 22 year old treats his first year "like school".
Berhane is based in Les Essarts - home to a recent Tour de France TTT and the Chrono des Nations - in Brittany, with Thomas Voeckler virtually on his doorstep and half of Europcar also nearby.
He is a graduate from the Eritrean national team, which trains daily on the roads around the altitude-high capital Asmara.
Arguably the most precocious from the current crop at La Tropicale is also the youngest: 18 year old Merhawi Kudus.
After winning a stage in his first UCI-rated race, the Tour of Rwanda, last November, the lanky teenager has continued to impress here, making a decisive eleven-man break on stage three among top riders Anthony Charteau (Europcar), Adrien Petit (Cofidis) and race leader Andrea Palini (Lampre-Merida) to sit sixth overall.
In March, the climber hopes to go to the UCI World Cycling Centre in Switzerland in March to continue his development.
Whether he maintains his high overall placing or not, there's another thing on Kudus's mind: his 19th birthday on Wednesday.
"I'm hoping to go and celebrate with my family," he said.
Eritrean cyclists have already taken Africa by storm in recent years, sweeping the board in the continental championships a few months ago.
In the not-too-distant future, Berhane, Kudus and a growing number of their compatriots could be making their presence felt at Europe's biggest races.
Nevsun Declines After Reports of Eritrea Coup
Nevsun Resources Ltd. (NSU), the operator
of a mine in Eritrea, fell the most in eight months after
reports of a coup in the East African nation.
Nevsun dropped 8.7 percent to C$4.22 at 11:47 a.m. in Toronto. The Vancouver-based company earlier dropped 11 percent, the most intraday since May 15.
Nevsun has been informed that its Bisha mine is operating normally, Arlen Hansen, an external consultant to the company, said today by e-mail. About 200 Eritrean soldiers mutinied and stormed a Ministry of Information building in the capital, Asmara, according to Agence France-Presse. The report cited an unidentified diplomat in Nairobi.
Nevsun produced 313,000 ounces of gold last year, it said Jan. 9. That compared with an Aug. 8 forecast of 280,000 to 300,000 ounces.
The company is building a copper plant and expects to start concentrate production about mid-year, while gold output at Bisha will stop at the end of the second quarter, Nevsun said .
Nevsun dropped 8.7 percent to C$4.22 at 11:47 a.m. in Toronto. The Vancouver-based company earlier dropped 11 percent, the most intraday since May 15.
Nevsun has been informed that its Bisha mine is operating normally, Arlen Hansen, an external consultant to the company, said today by e-mail. About 200 Eritrean soldiers mutinied and stormed a Ministry of Information building in the capital, Asmara, according to Agence France-Presse. The report cited an unidentified diplomat in Nairobi.
Nevsun produced 313,000 ounces of gold last year, it said Jan. 9. That compared with an Aug. 8 forecast of 280,000 to 300,000 ounces.
The company is building a copper plant and expects to start concentrate production about mid-year, while gold output at Bisha will stop at the end of the second quarter, Nevsun said .
Calm returns to Eritrea after siege ends
Eritrea's government has said the capital Asmara is "calm" a day
after armed mutineers seized the information ministry, with opposition
sites saying the stand-off was settled.
"All is calm today, as it was indeed yesterday," Yemane Gebremeskel, the director of Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki's office, said on Tuesday.
A group of dissident Eritrean soldiers laid siege to the information ministry on Monday, forcing state media to announce a call for the release of political prisoners.
The renegade soldiers forced the director of state television to make
an announcement, a senior Eritrean intelligence official said.
"The soldiers have forced him to speak on state TV, to say the Eritrean government should release all political prisoners," the source said on condition of anonymity.
Reports from Eritrea are difficult to independently verify, as the country restricts access to foreign media.
Selam Kidane, an Eritrean human rights activist and director of human rights organisation, Release Eritrea, told Al Jazeera that details of what had happened were still unclear.
"After those announcements were made, the state TV and radio were taken off air for about four hours," Kidane said.
"Early in the day, not many people had a clue as to what was going on - but electrical outages happen, so people were not surprised."
'Mutineers surrendered'
Opposition website Awate.com, based in the United States but with close connections inside Eritrea, said that the commander of around 100 rebel soldiers had agreed to surrender.
"The face-off was 'solved' when the government 'accepted his terms'" Awate said, although there were no further details as to what will happen next.
The reports were impossible to confirm, and it was not clear if the mutineers had formally surrendered.
The state-run Eri-TV television and radio broadcasts were taken off air on Monday, but resumed broadcasting on Tuesday, several sources said.
"Eri-TV, under regime loyalists, has resumed broadcasting live," Awate added.
"All Ministry of Information employees have been released."
Multiple sources reported that one of those held inside the information ministry was the daughter of Issaias, who has ruled the Horn of Africa nation with an iron grip from independence in 1993, following an epic 30-year liberation war from neighbouring Ethiopia.
Kidane said that those that took part in this operation were not senior personnel, but young people fed up with the situation in the country.
"These were not army officers, these were young soldiers - new recruits and those who were forced into the army," she said.
"Instead of young people fleeing the country and is in the past, they are now standing up and acting."
Awate claimed the mutineers were led by an army commander called Saleh Osman, a hero of the bloody 1998-2000 border war with Ethiopia, when he refused orders to abandon the key southern port of Assab, defending it and beating back invading Ethiopians.
"The 'uprising' appears to have been a case of Saleh Osman trying to jolt back negotiations for democratisation he had been having with the president's office that have stalled," Awate added.
The UN last year estimated that 5,000-10,000 political prisoners were being held in the country, which is accused by human rights groups of carrying out torture and summary executions.
The Red Sea state, which declared independence from Ethiopia after a long war, is one of the most opaque countries on the continent.
Eritrean opposition activists exiled in neighbouring Ethiopia said there was growing dissent within the Eritrean military, especially over economic hardships.
"Economic issues have worsened and have worsened relations between the government and soldiers in the past few weeks and months," one activist said.
The UN Security Council imposed an embargo on Eritrea in 2009 over concerns its government was funding and arming al-Shabab rebels in neighbouring Somalia - charges Eritrea denied.
"All is calm today, as it was indeed yesterday," Yemane Gebremeskel, the director of Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki's office, said on Tuesday.
A group of dissident Eritrean soldiers laid siege to the information ministry on Monday, forcing state media to announce a call for the release of political prisoners.
 |
| Issaias Afeworki has ruled the nation with an iron grip since independence |
"The soldiers have forced him to speak on state TV, to say the Eritrean government should release all political prisoners," the source said on condition of anonymity.
Reports from Eritrea are difficult to independently verify, as the country restricts access to foreign media.
Selam Kidane, an Eritrean human rights activist and director of human rights organisation, Release Eritrea, told Al Jazeera that details of what had happened were still unclear.
"After those announcements were made, the state TV and radio were taken off air for about four hours," Kidane said.
"Early in the day, not many people had a clue as to what was going on - but electrical outages happen, so people were not surprised."
'Mutineers surrendered'
Opposition website Awate.com, based in the United States but with close connections inside Eritrea, said that the commander of around 100 rebel soldiers had agreed to surrender.
"The face-off was 'solved' when the government 'accepted his terms'" Awate said, although there were no further details as to what will happen next.
The reports were impossible to confirm, and it was not clear if the mutineers had formally surrendered.
The state-run Eri-TV television and radio broadcasts were taken off air on Monday, but resumed broadcasting on Tuesday, several sources said.
"Eri-TV, under regime loyalists, has resumed broadcasting live," Awate added.
"All Ministry of Information employees have been released."
Multiple sources reported that one of those held inside the information ministry was the daughter of Issaias, who has ruled the Horn of Africa nation with an iron grip from independence in 1993, following an epic 30-year liberation war from neighbouring Ethiopia.
Kidane said that those that took part in this operation were not senior personnel, but young people fed up with the situation in the country.
"These were not army officers, these were young soldiers - new recruits and those who were forced into the army," she said.
"Instead of young people fleeing the country and is in the past, they are now standing up and acting."
Awate claimed the mutineers were led by an army commander called Saleh Osman, a hero of the bloody 1998-2000 border war with Ethiopia, when he refused orders to abandon the key southern port of Assab, defending it and beating back invading Ethiopians.
"The 'uprising' appears to have been a case of Saleh Osman trying to jolt back negotiations for democratisation he had been having with the president's office that have stalled," Awate added.
The UN last year estimated that 5,000-10,000 political prisoners were being held in the country, which is accused by human rights groups of carrying out torture and summary executions.
The Red Sea state, which declared independence from Ethiopia after a long war, is one of the most opaque countries on the continent.
Eritrean opposition activists exiled in neighbouring Ethiopia said there was growing dissent within the Eritrean military, especially over economic hardships.
"Economic issues have worsened and have worsened relations between the government and soldiers in the past few weeks and months," one activist said.
The UN Security Council imposed an embargo on Eritrea in 2009 over concerns its government was funding and arming al-Shabab rebels in neighbouring Somalia - charges Eritrea denied.
Monday, January 21, 2013
ሓድሽ ምዕባለ ብዛዕባ ንምንስትር ዜና ኤርትራ ተቆፃፂሮም ዝዋዓሉ ኣባላት ሰራዊት
ንምንስቴር ዜና ኤርትራ ተቆፃፂሮም፣ንፖለቲካዊ እሱራት ክፍትሑን ናይ 97 ሕገ-መንግስቲ ንክትግብረን ዝፀውዑ
ዝዓለው ኣባላት ሰራዊት፣ድሕሪ ምስ ፕረዚደንት ኢሳያስ ኣፈወርቂ ምልዛብ፣ናብ ደቡባዊ ኤርትራ ኣብ ዝርከብ ካምፕ
ከምዝተመለሱ ተፈሊጡ።
ኣብ ትሕቲ ቁፅፅር ኣውዒሎምዎም ንዝዋዓሉ ሰራሕተኛታት‘ቲ ቤት ዕዮ ብናይ ኣስመራ ኣቆፃፅራ ምሸት ሰዓት 9:30 ከምዝለቀቁ፣ተቋሪፆም ዝዋዓሉ ፈነወ ቴሌቭዥንን ሬድዮን ኤርትራ‘ውን ካብ 9:30 ናይ ምሸት ጀሚሩ ንስሩዕ ፈነወኦም ከምዝጀመሩ እቲ ዜና ሓቢሩ።ስለምንታይ እቶም ፈነወታት ከምዝተቋረፁ ግና መብርሂ ኣይሃቡን።
ፈነወ ሬድዮን ቴሌቭዥን፣ሓደ ጋዜጠኛ ሕገ-መንግስቲ‘ታ ሃገር ይከበር፣ኩሎም ፖለቲካዊ እሱራት ንክፍትሑ ብድሕሪ ዘስመዖ መፀዋዕታ ነበረ ሃንደበት ዝተቋረፁ።
ክፍሊ ሰብኣዊ መሰላት ሕ/ሃ፣ሽዱሽተ ሚልዮን ዝህዝባ ኤርትራ ካብ 5 - 10 ሽሕ ፖለቲካዊ እሱራት ኣለውዋ ይብል።
መንነቶም ክግለፅ ዘይደለዩ ብርክት ዝበሉ ሰራሕተኛታት ምንስቴር ዜና ኤርትራ፣እቶም ድሩዓት ማካይን ዝሓዙ ወትሃደራት፣ሎሚ ንጉሆ ምስ ቅሬተኦም ዝሓዘ ፅሑፍ ከምዝመፁ ጠቂሶም።እንተኾነ ትሕዝቶ‘ቲ ጠለቦም ወይካኣ እቲ ምስሕሓብ ከመይ ከምዝተፈትሐ ፅፁይ ሓበሬታ ዛጊድ የለን።
እዚ ከምዚ‘ሉ ከሎ፣ኣብ ኤርትራ ኤምባሲ ኣሜሪካ፣ዜጋታት ኣሜሪካ ኣብ‘ታ ርእሰ-ከተማ ጥንቁቅ ምንቅስቃስ ንክገብሩ ምዒዱ‘ሎ።ኣብ ገለ ከባቢታት ኣስመራ ወትሃደራዊ ምንቅስቃስ ከምዝወሰኸ‘ውን እቲ መግለፂ ይሕብር።
ስሳስ ሽዱሽተን ዓመት ዝዕድሚኦም ፕረዚደንት ኢሳያስ ኣፈወርቂ፣እታ ሃገር ካብ ኢትዮዽያ ካብ ዝተፈለየትሉ ዕለት ጀሚሩ ንኤርትራ ኣብ ምምራሕ ከምዝርከቡ ዝፍለጥ‘ዩ።
ኤርትራ ፅኑዕ ቁፅፅር ዘለዋን ብሕልፊ ንወፃኢ ዕፁውቲ ኮይና ዘላን ሃገር‘ያ።
ብዛዕባ‘ቲ ናይ ሎሚ ሶኒ ተጓንፎ፣መብርሂ ንክህቡ ንሰበ-ስልጣን መንግስቲ ተደጋጋሚ ፃዕሪ ተገይሩ ኣይሰለጠናን።
ቤት ምኽሪ ፀጥታ ሕ/ሃ ቅድሚ ሰለስተ ዓመት ኣብ ልዕሊ ኤርትራ ማዕቀብ ከምዘንበረ ይዝከር።ኣብ ኤርትራ ንደባይ ተዋጋእቲ ተዕጥቅ‘ያ ብዝብል ምኽንያት።
ኣብ ትሕቲ ቁፅፅር ኣውዒሎምዎም ንዝዋዓሉ ሰራሕተኛታት‘ቲ ቤት ዕዮ ብናይ ኣስመራ ኣቆፃፅራ ምሸት ሰዓት 9:30 ከምዝለቀቁ፣ተቋሪፆም ዝዋዓሉ ፈነወ ቴሌቭዥንን ሬድዮን ኤርትራ‘ውን ካብ 9:30 ናይ ምሸት ጀሚሩ ንስሩዕ ፈነወኦም ከምዝጀመሩ እቲ ዜና ሓቢሩ።ስለምንታይ እቶም ፈነወታት ከምዝተቋረፁ ግና መብርሂ ኣይሃቡን።
ፈነወ ሬድዮን ቴሌቭዥን፣ሓደ ጋዜጠኛ ሕገ-መንግስቲ‘ታ ሃገር ይከበር፣ኩሎም ፖለቲካዊ እሱራት ንክፍትሑ ብድሕሪ ዘስመዖ መፀዋዕታ ነበረ ሃንደበት ዝተቋረፁ።
ክፍሊ ሰብኣዊ መሰላት ሕ/ሃ፣ሽዱሽተ ሚልዮን ዝህዝባ ኤርትራ ካብ 5 - 10 ሽሕ ፖለቲካዊ እሱራት ኣለውዋ ይብል።
መንነቶም ክግለፅ ዘይደለዩ ብርክት ዝበሉ ሰራሕተኛታት ምንስቴር ዜና ኤርትራ፣እቶም ድሩዓት ማካይን ዝሓዙ ወትሃደራት፣ሎሚ ንጉሆ ምስ ቅሬተኦም ዝሓዘ ፅሑፍ ከምዝመፁ ጠቂሶም።እንተኾነ ትሕዝቶ‘ቲ ጠለቦም ወይካኣ እቲ ምስሕሓብ ከመይ ከምዝተፈትሐ ፅፁይ ሓበሬታ ዛጊድ የለን።
እዚ ከምዚ‘ሉ ከሎ፣ኣብ ኤርትራ ኤምባሲ ኣሜሪካ፣ዜጋታት ኣሜሪካ ኣብ‘ታ ርእሰ-ከተማ ጥንቁቅ ምንቅስቃስ ንክገብሩ ምዒዱ‘ሎ።ኣብ ገለ ከባቢታት ኣስመራ ወትሃደራዊ ምንቅስቃስ ከምዝወሰኸ‘ውን እቲ መግለፂ ይሕብር።
ስሳስ ሽዱሽተን ዓመት ዝዕድሚኦም ፕረዚደንት ኢሳያስ ኣፈወርቂ፣እታ ሃገር ካብ ኢትዮዽያ ካብ ዝተፈለየትሉ ዕለት ጀሚሩ ንኤርትራ ኣብ ምምራሕ ከምዝርከቡ ዝፍለጥ‘ዩ።
ኤርትራ ፅኑዕ ቁፅፅር ዘለዋን ብሕልፊ ንወፃኢ ዕፁውቲ ኮይና ዘላን ሃገር‘ያ።
ብዛዕባ‘ቲ ናይ ሎሚ ሶኒ ተጓንፎ፣መብርሂ ንክህቡ ንሰበ-ስልጣን መንግስቲ ተደጋጋሚ ፃዕሪ ተገይሩ ኣይሰለጠናን።
ቤት ምኽሪ ፀጥታ ሕ/ሃ ቅድሚ ሰለስተ ዓመት ኣብ ልዕሊ ኤርትራ ማዕቀብ ከምዘንበረ ይዝከር።ኣብ ኤርትራ ንደባይ ተዋጋእቲ ተዕጥቅ‘ያ ብዝብል ምኽንያት።
Eritrea troops 'lay siege' to ministry
| A
group of dissident Eritrean soldiers have laid siege to the information
ministry and forced state media to announce a call for the release of
political prisoners, according to a senior Eritrean intelligence
official. The renegade soldiers forced the director of state television to make an announcement, the intelligence official said. "The soldiers have forced him to speak on state TV, to say the Eritrean government should release all political prisoners," the source said on condition of anonymity. Reports from Eritrea are difficult to independently verify, as the country restricts access to foreign media. Dozens of soldiers with two tanks surrounded the ministry building in Asmara, regional diplomatic sources said. They said state television and radio had gone off air. Araya Desta, Eritrea's permanent representative to the UN, said: "There is no problem. Everything is quiet. Everything is going to be solved. It is all fine." A statement from the US embassy in Asmara said it "is aware of press reports that tanks have reportedly surrounded some ministry buildings but cannot confirm all the reports. The situation remains fluid". There was no immediate indication it was an attempt to overthrow the government of Eritrea, which has been led by Isaias Afewerki, 66, for about two decades since it broke away from bigger neighbour Ethiopia. Micheala Wrong, a British journalist who has covered Africa extensively, told Al Jazeera: "We know there is restlessness among the troops, so if there is going to be any challenge to Afewerki, it will come from the army. "What happens in Eritrea is crucial to what happens in the Horn of Africa, and I think the West should be watching this very closely," she said. 'No coup symptoms' Salem Solomon, an Eritrean-American journalist based in Florida, told Al Jazeera the military in Eritrea is a "major force", with the standing army consisting of "between 200,000 and 300,000 soldiers". "At the moment, the buzz word people are using is 'coup', but it doesn't have the symptoms of what a coup looks like," she said. "There were no shootings," Solomon said, adding that the main opposition to the government "is coming from people who are abroad....Even though people in Eritrea are armed, and under the control of the military, there has not been much resistance." The UN last year estimated that 5,000-10,000 political prisoners were being held in the country, which is accused by human rights groups of carrying out torture and summary executions. The Red Sea state, which declared independence from Ethiopia after a long war, is one of the most opaque countries on the continent. Eritrean opposition activists exiled in neighbouring Ethiopia said there was growing dissent within the Eritrean military, especially over economic hardships. "Economic issues have worsened and have worsened relations between the government and soldiers in the past few weeks and months," one activist said. The UN Security Council imposed an embargo on Eritrea in 2009 over concerns its government was funding and arming al-Shabab rebels in neighbouring Somalia - charges Eritrea denied. |
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Britain facilitating mining firms' talks with repressive Eritrean regime
The British government has been facilitating talks between a range of mining and investment companies and the Eritrean government, whose human rights record is castigated in a Human Rights Watch report that says companies rushing to exploit Eritrea's rich resources risk involvement with widespread exploitation of forced labour by the regime.
Details of those who attended a roundtable meeting organised by the Foreign Office during a visit by officials from Eritrea, one of the world's poorest and most repressive countries, were released under the Freedom of Information Act.
They included representatives from Scottish International Investment Ltd, Investec, Frontier Markets Fund Managers, Copper Tree Capital, Plaza Holdings Ltd and the shipping company Nectar Group Limited.
Also present were representatives of Cluff Geothermal, a London-based exploration, production and consultancy company; Andiamo Exploration Limited, a private UK company exploring for gold and base metals in Eritrea; and Arabian Nubian Resources (ANS), a Guernsey-registered resources company exploring for gold and other resources. ANS boasted in an investor presentation in December 2011 that it had a "five-year relationship in Eritrea".
There is no suggestion that any of the companies at the talks last year have been involved with any exploitation of forced labour.
Two months before the roundtable, the UN security council toughened sanctions against Eritrea after east African neighbours accused it of continuing to provide support for the Somali Islamist insurgent group al-Shabaab, a self-declared affiliate of al-Qaida,
The resolution, put forward on the back of accusations denied by Eritrea, requires foreign companies involved in the country's mining industry to ensure that funds from the sector are not used to destabilise the region.
In a report released on Tuesday, Human Rights Watch says Eritrea's government continues to maintain a "national service" programme that conscripts Eritreans into prolonged and indefinite terms of forced labour, generally under abusive conditions, and that international mining firms "rushing to invest in Eritrea's burgeoning minerals sector" risk involvement in serious abuses unless they take strong preventive measures.
"If mining companies are going to work in Eritrea, they need to make absolutely sure that their operations don't rely on forced labour," said Chris Albin-Lackey, business and human rights senior researcher at Human Rights Watch. "If they can't prevent this, they shouldn't move forward at all."
Eritrea's largely untapped mineral wealth has provided a badly needed boost to the country's economic prospects in recent years, according to the report, titled Hear No Evil: Forced Labour and Corporate Responsibility in Eritrea's Mining Sector.
It identifies one mining scheme, the Bisha project – which Human Rights Watch says is majority-owned and operated by the small Canadian firm Nevsun Resources – as Eritrea's first and so far only operational mine. Since gold production started in 2011 it was said to have produced approximately $614m (£380m) worth of ore.
Human Rights Watch reports that other large projects led by Canadian, Australian and Chinese firms are in the pipeline and many exploration firms are exploring the various prospects.
It states: "Eritrea's government maintains a 'national service' programme that conscripts Eritreans into prolonged and indefinite terms of forced labour, generally under abusive conditions. It is through this forced labour programme that mining companies run the most direct risk of involvement in the Eritrean government's human rights violations.
"Human Rights Watch has documented how national service conscripts are regularly subjected to torture and other serious abuses, and how the government exacts revenge upon conscripts' families if they desert their posts. Many Eritreans have been forced to work as conscript labourers for over a decade."
The Eritrean state's human rights record was highlighted last year when the Guardian interviewed a soldier and member of its Olympic team who became the first Olympian from last summer's Games to go public on seeking asylum here.
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said: "The roundtable formed one part of the programme for the visit of the Eritrean delegation to the UK. The visit gave us the opportunity to discuss their role in the region and raise concerns over their human rights record at a high level."
A letter is being sent to the foreign secretary, William Hague, by Eritreans For Action, a group of exiled Eritreans in the UK, who warned that establishing a business relationship with the Eritrean regime would be "detrimental to the hopes and wishes of democracy-loving Eritreans".
"We ask what measures, guidelines and due diligence is the UK government undertaking when setting up business meetings, to ensure that funds from British [mining] companies are not being used [by the Eritrean government] to support terrorism and/or crimes against humanity," it says.
Details of those who attended a roundtable meeting organised by the Foreign Office during a visit by officials from Eritrea, one of the world's poorest and most repressive countries, were released under the Freedom of Information Act.
They included representatives from Scottish International Investment Ltd, Investec, Frontier Markets Fund Managers, Copper Tree Capital, Plaza Holdings Ltd and the shipping company Nectar Group Limited.
Also present were representatives of Cluff Geothermal, a London-based exploration, production and consultancy company; Andiamo Exploration Limited, a private UK company exploring for gold and base metals in Eritrea; and Arabian Nubian Resources (ANS), a Guernsey-registered resources company exploring for gold and other resources. ANS boasted in an investor presentation in December 2011 that it had a "five-year relationship in Eritrea".
There is no suggestion that any of the companies at the talks last year have been involved with any exploitation of forced labour.
Two months before the roundtable, the UN security council toughened sanctions against Eritrea after east African neighbours accused it of continuing to provide support for the Somali Islamist insurgent group al-Shabaab, a self-declared affiliate of al-Qaida,
The resolution, put forward on the back of accusations denied by Eritrea, requires foreign companies involved in the country's mining industry to ensure that funds from the sector are not used to destabilise the region.
In a report released on Tuesday, Human Rights Watch says Eritrea's government continues to maintain a "national service" programme that conscripts Eritreans into prolonged and indefinite terms of forced labour, generally under abusive conditions, and that international mining firms "rushing to invest in Eritrea's burgeoning minerals sector" risk involvement in serious abuses unless they take strong preventive measures.
"If mining companies are going to work in Eritrea, they need to make absolutely sure that their operations don't rely on forced labour," said Chris Albin-Lackey, business and human rights senior researcher at Human Rights Watch. "If they can't prevent this, they shouldn't move forward at all."
Eritrea's largely untapped mineral wealth has provided a badly needed boost to the country's economic prospects in recent years, according to the report, titled Hear No Evil: Forced Labour and Corporate Responsibility in Eritrea's Mining Sector.
It identifies one mining scheme, the Bisha project – which Human Rights Watch says is majority-owned and operated by the small Canadian firm Nevsun Resources – as Eritrea's first and so far only operational mine. Since gold production started in 2011 it was said to have produced approximately $614m (£380m) worth of ore.
Human Rights Watch reports that other large projects led by Canadian, Australian and Chinese firms are in the pipeline and many exploration firms are exploring the various prospects.
It states: "Eritrea's government maintains a 'national service' programme that conscripts Eritreans into prolonged and indefinite terms of forced labour, generally under abusive conditions. It is through this forced labour programme that mining companies run the most direct risk of involvement in the Eritrean government's human rights violations.
"Human Rights Watch has documented how national service conscripts are regularly subjected to torture and other serious abuses, and how the government exacts revenge upon conscripts' families if they desert their posts. Many Eritreans have been forced to work as conscript labourers for over a decade."
The Eritrean state's human rights record was highlighted last year when the Guardian interviewed a soldier and member of its Olympic team who became the first Olympian from last summer's Games to go public on seeking asylum here.
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said: "The roundtable formed one part of the programme for the visit of the Eritrean delegation to the UK. The visit gave us the opportunity to discuss their role in the region and raise concerns over their human rights record at a high level."
A letter is being sent to the foreign secretary, William Hague, by Eritreans For Action, a group of exiled Eritreans in the UK, who warned that establishing a business relationship with the Eritrean regime would be "detrimental to the hopes and wishes of democracy-loving Eritreans".
"We ask what measures, guidelines and due diligence is the UK government undertaking when setting up business meetings, to ensure that funds from British [mining] companies are not being used [by the Eritrean government] to support terrorism and/or crimes against humanity," it says.
Eritrea: Mining Investors Risk Use of Forced Labor
International mining firms rushing to invest in Eritrea’s burgeoning
minerals sector risk involvement in serious abuses unless they take
strong preventive measures. The failure of the Vancouver-based company
Nevsun Resources to ensure that forced labor would not be used during
construction of its Eritrea mine, and its limited ability to deal with
forced labor allegations when they arose, highlight the risk.
The 29-page report, “Hear No Evil: Forced Labor and Corporate Responsibility in Eritrea’s Mining Sector,” describes how mining companies working in Eritrea risk involvement with the government’s widespread exploitation of forced labor. It also documents how Nevsun – the first company to develop an operational mine in Eritrea – initially failed to take those risks seriously, and then struggled to address allegations of abuse connected to its operations. Although the company has subsequently improved its policies, it still seems unable to investigate allegations of forced labor concerning a state-owned contractor it uses.
“If mining companies are going to work in Eritrea, they need to make absolutely sure that their operations don’t rely on forced labor,” said Chris Albin-Lackey, business and human rights senior researcher at Human Rights Watch. “If they can’t prevent this, they shouldn’t move forward at all.”
Eritrea is one of the world’s poorest and most repressive countries. In recent years the country’s largely untapped mineral wealth has provided a badly needed boost to its economic prospects. The Bisha project, majority owned and operated by the small Canadian firm Nevsun Resources, is Eritrea’s first and so far only operational mine. It began gold production in 2011 and produced some $614 million worth of ore in its first year.
Other large projects led by Canadian, Australian, and Chinese firms are in the pipeline, however. Numerous exploration firms are scouring other leases for new prospects.
Eritrea’s government maintains a “national service” program that conscripts Eritreans into prolonged and indefinite terms of forced labor, generally under abusive conditions. It is through this forced labor program that mining companies run the most direct risk of involvement in the Eritrean government’s human rights violations. Human Rights Watch has documented how national service conscripts are regularly subjected to torture and other serious abuses, and how the government exacts revenge upon conscripts’ families if they desert their posts. Many Eritreans have been forced to work as conscript laborers for over a decade.
Most national service conscripts are assigned to the military, but others are made to work for state-owned companies. Some of those companies are construction firms that the government pressures international companies to take on as contractors.
Nevsun Resources operates the Bisha mine through a joint venture with Eritrea’s state-owned mining firm, the Eritrea National Mining Corporation (ENAMCO). Nevsun acknowledged to Human Rights Watch that it initially failed to carry out any kind of due diligence activity around the human rights risks involved with the project. At the government’s urging, it then employed a state-owned contractor called Segen Construction Company to build some of the infrastructure around the mine site. Segen has a long track record of allegedly deploying forced labor in connection with its projects.
Human Rights Watch interviewed several Eritreans who worked at Bisha during its initial construction phase. Some said they were deployed there as conscript laborers by Segen. They described terrible living conditions and forced labor at paltry wages. One former conscript said that he had been arrested and imprisoned for several months after leaving the work site to attend a relative’s funeral.
“Nevsun employed a contractor with a long track record of alleged reliance on forced labor, without adequate safeguards in place,” Albin-Lackey said. “What’s worse, Nevsun has continued to operate and to employ this contractor even though it is not allowed to monitor its labor practices.”
During the project’s early stages, Nevsun did not have adequate procedures in place to ensure that forced labor was not being used to build its project. The company has since tightened those policies, largely through an improved screening procedure that is meant to vet all workers at the mine to ensure that they are there voluntarily. Nevsun says that these policies are now adequate to the task of keeping their project free of forced labor.
Human Rights Watch has not encountered allegations that forced labor is currently being used at Bisha, but monitoring is extremely difficult due to the limited access for independent human rights investigators into Eritrea. But even Nevsun cannot be truly certain that forced labor is not being used since its contractor refuses to cooperate with efforts to monitor its human rights performance.
Nevsun says that Segen has promised not to use forced labor at Bisha. But Segen has refused Nevsun’s requests to interview Segen employees to verify that they are working at Bisha voluntarily. Segen has also refused to allow Nevsun to visit the site where its workers are housed to assess conditions there. In 2010, Nevsun began providing food to Segen’s workers after receiving reports that they had deplorable living conditions and inadequate food.
In 2012, Nevsun attempted to expand the mine without re-engaging Segen. The Eritrean government objected, and Nevsun brought Segen back on. Segen workers are still on site at Bisha.
“Nevsun has allowed itself to be bullied by its own local contractor, which has the backing of the Eritrean government, and it shouldn’t accept this state of affairs,” Albin-Lackey said. “This should be a lesson to other mining firms working in Eritrea – if they wait until there is a problem to address the human rights risks of working there, it may well be too late.”
Unfortunately, it appears that other companies are moving ahead with mining projects without addressing these risks. Human Rights Watch interviewed the CEO of Australia’s South Boulder Mines, which is on the verge of developing a $1 billion potash mine in Eritrea. The CEO acknowledged that the company has done no assessment of the potential human rights risks involved with the project, including the potential risk of the use of forced labor.
The Canadian firm Sunridge Gold, which is also working on plans to develop a mine in Eritrea, did not respond to requests to discuss the issue of forced labor and other human rights abuses. The newest entry into the mining scene is China SFECO, a Shanghai-based conglomerate that recently purchased a controlling interest in another mining project from Australia’s Chalice Gold.
Based on the Bisha experience, the greatest risk of abuse may occur during the construction phase of these projects. Nevsun has also acquired the rights to another deposit near its Bisha site which, if it turns out to be commercially viable, could involve more construction or infrastructure work.
Mining firms that want to work in Eritrea should refuse to work with any contractor implicated in the use of forced labor, and insist on the right to investigate any and all allegations of abuse connected to their operations, Human Rights Watch said.
All mining firms working in Eritrea should undertake human rights due diligence activity to identify and mitigate the full range of risks posed by the projects they plan to undertake. The importance of human rights due diligence is heavily emphasized by the United Nations-endorsed Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which have been widely accepted as a legitimate benchmark of responsible corporate behavior.
Once projects are under way, companies should keep a close eye on events in the field to make sure that their project is not moving forward through forced labor or other abuses. Companies should insist on unfettered, independent access to all workers at their mine site and the right to fire local contractors that are credibly implicated in abuse.
The home governments of multinational mining companies should regulate and monitor the human rights practices of domestically based companies when they operate in high-risk environments like Eritrea, Human Rights Watch said. The governments should press these companies to uphold high standards and to investigate alleged abuses in their foreign operations. No country currently monitors the extraterritorial human rights performance of its companies except in certain narrow contexts, such as investment in Burma.
“It is negligent for mining companies to ignore the risks of forced labor that clearly exist in Eritrea,” Albin-Lackey said. “It is also long past time for these companies’ home governments to make their overseas human rights records an issue of domestic concern.”
The 29-page report, “Hear No Evil: Forced Labor and Corporate Responsibility in Eritrea’s Mining Sector,” describes how mining companies working in Eritrea risk involvement with the government’s widespread exploitation of forced labor. It also documents how Nevsun – the first company to develop an operational mine in Eritrea – initially failed to take those risks seriously, and then struggled to address allegations of abuse connected to its operations. Although the company has subsequently improved its policies, it still seems unable to investigate allegations of forced labor concerning a state-owned contractor it uses.
“If mining companies are going to work in Eritrea, they need to make absolutely sure that their operations don’t rely on forced labor,” said Chris Albin-Lackey, business and human rights senior researcher at Human Rights Watch. “If they can’t prevent this, they shouldn’t move forward at all.”
Eritrea is one of the world’s poorest and most repressive countries. In recent years the country’s largely untapped mineral wealth has provided a badly needed boost to its economic prospects. The Bisha project, majority owned and operated by the small Canadian firm Nevsun Resources, is Eritrea’s first and so far only operational mine. It began gold production in 2011 and produced some $614 million worth of ore in its first year.
Other large projects led by Canadian, Australian, and Chinese firms are in the pipeline, however. Numerous exploration firms are scouring other leases for new prospects.
Eritrea’s government maintains a “national service” program that conscripts Eritreans into prolonged and indefinite terms of forced labor, generally under abusive conditions. It is through this forced labor program that mining companies run the most direct risk of involvement in the Eritrean government’s human rights violations. Human Rights Watch has documented how national service conscripts are regularly subjected to torture and other serious abuses, and how the government exacts revenge upon conscripts’ families if they desert their posts. Many Eritreans have been forced to work as conscript laborers for over a decade.
Most national service conscripts are assigned to the military, but others are made to work for state-owned companies. Some of those companies are construction firms that the government pressures international companies to take on as contractors.
Nevsun Resources operates the Bisha mine through a joint venture with Eritrea’s state-owned mining firm, the Eritrea National Mining Corporation (ENAMCO). Nevsun acknowledged to Human Rights Watch that it initially failed to carry out any kind of due diligence activity around the human rights risks involved with the project. At the government’s urging, it then employed a state-owned contractor called Segen Construction Company to build some of the infrastructure around the mine site. Segen has a long track record of allegedly deploying forced labor in connection with its projects.
Human Rights Watch interviewed several Eritreans who worked at Bisha during its initial construction phase. Some said they were deployed there as conscript laborers by Segen. They described terrible living conditions and forced labor at paltry wages. One former conscript said that he had been arrested and imprisoned for several months after leaving the work site to attend a relative’s funeral.
“Nevsun employed a contractor with a long track record of alleged reliance on forced labor, without adequate safeguards in place,” Albin-Lackey said. “What’s worse, Nevsun has continued to operate and to employ this contractor even though it is not allowed to monitor its labor practices.”
During the project’s early stages, Nevsun did not have adequate procedures in place to ensure that forced labor was not being used to build its project. The company has since tightened those policies, largely through an improved screening procedure that is meant to vet all workers at the mine to ensure that they are there voluntarily. Nevsun says that these policies are now adequate to the task of keeping their project free of forced labor.
Human Rights Watch has not encountered allegations that forced labor is currently being used at Bisha, but monitoring is extremely difficult due to the limited access for independent human rights investigators into Eritrea. But even Nevsun cannot be truly certain that forced labor is not being used since its contractor refuses to cooperate with efforts to monitor its human rights performance.
Nevsun says that Segen has promised not to use forced labor at Bisha. But Segen has refused Nevsun’s requests to interview Segen employees to verify that they are working at Bisha voluntarily. Segen has also refused to allow Nevsun to visit the site where its workers are housed to assess conditions there. In 2010, Nevsun began providing food to Segen’s workers after receiving reports that they had deplorable living conditions and inadequate food.
In 2012, Nevsun attempted to expand the mine without re-engaging Segen. The Eritrean government objected, and Nevsun brought Segen back on. Segen workers are still on site at Bisha.
“Nevsun has allowed itself to be bullied by its own local contractor, which has the backing of the Eritrean government, and it shouldn’t accept this state of affairs,” Albin-Lackey said. “This should be a lesson to other mining firms working in Eritrea – if they wait until there is a problem to address the human rights risks of working there, it may well be too late.”
Unfortunately, it appears that other companies are moving ahead with mining projects without addressing these risks. Human Rights Watch interviewed the CEO of Australia’s South Boulder Mines, which is on the verge of developing a $1 billion potash mine in Eritrea. The CEO acknowledged that the company has done no assessment of the potential human rights risks involved with the project, including the potential risk of the use of forced labor.
The Canadian firm Sunridge Gold, which is also working on plans to develop a mine in Eritrea, did not respond to requests to discuss the issue of forced labor and other human rights abuses. The newest entry into the mining scene is China SFECO, a Shanghai-based conglomerate that recently purchased a controlling interest in another mining project from Australia’s Chalice Gold.
Based on the Bisha experience, the greatest risk of abuse may occur during the construction phase of these projects. Nevsun has also acquired the rights to another deposit near its Bisha site which, if it turns out to be commercially viable, could involve more construction or infrastructure work.
Mining firms that want to work in Eritrea should refuse to work with any contractor implicated in the use of forced labor, and insist on the right to investigate any and all allegations of abuse connected to their operations, Human Rights Watch said.
All mining firms working in Eritrea should undertake human rights due diligence activity to identify and mitigate the full range of risks posed by the projects they plan to undertake. The importance of human rights due diligence is heavily emphasized by the United Nations-endorsed Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which have been widely accepted as a legitimate benchmark of responsible corporate behavior.
Once projects are under way, companies should keep a close eye on events in the field to make sure that their project is not moving forward through forced labor or other abuses. Companies should insist on unfettered, independent access to all workers at their mine site and the right to fire local contractors that are credibly implicated in abuse.
The home governments of multinational mining companies should regulate and monitor the human rights practices of domestically based companies when they operate in high-risk environments like Eritrea, Human Rights Watch said. The governments should press these companies to uphold high standards and to investigate alleged abuses in their foreign operations. No country currently monitors the extraterritorial human rights performance of its companies except in certain narrow contexts, such as investment in Burma.
“It is negligent for mining companies to ignore the risks of forced labor that clearly exist in Eritrea,” Albin-Lackey said. “It is also long past time for these companies’ home governments to make their overseas human rights records an issue of domestic concern.”
Monday, January 14, 2013
Eritrean Afar conference urges intervention to end Eritrea’s "genocidal" policies
Eritrean Afar nationals have held their first Diaspora Conference in
Sweden calling on the international community to intervene to end
worsening atrocities committed by the regime in Asmara.
The Conference which was held in Uppsala under the theme, ‘Towards Political, Social & Economic Emancipation of the Red Sea Afar People’, denounced the alleged genocidal policies of the Eritrean government against the Afar minorities.
The conference called on the UN and the international community at large to pressure Eritrea to immediately stop what they said was an ethnic cleansing policy against the Red Sea Afar people.
The spokesperson of the Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO), Yasin Mohamed, from Sweden told Sudan Tribune that over 2,000 Eritrean Afar citizens were killed by government agents over the past few years.
He added that thousands more have disappeared and many others are detained indefinitely without charge.
“We appeal to the UN to put pressure on the Eritrean government to respect the basic human rights of the Eritrean people particularly the Afar people” said a communiqué from the conference.
Participants at the conference thoroughly discussed and consulted over current situations at home and on refugee crises elsewhere.
“We appeal to the UN to give the Afar refugees in Djibouti and Yemen, the protection they have right to under Geneva Convention”, the statement said.
Speaking to Sudan Tribune, RSADO chairman, Ibrahim Haron, on Sunday renewed his organisation’s call for united military action against the Eritrean government.
Haron called on all Eritrean opposition forces, the Eritrean Army and Eritrean people at home and aboard to jointly step-up their struggle to topple the dictatorial government in the Red Sea nation.
Meanwhile, thousands of Eritrean Afar refugees in Ethiopia’s Afar region and in the capital Addis Ababa on Sunday rally in support of the resolutions passed by the conference.
The refugees said they fully support armed struggle as the only option to overthrow president Isaias Afwerki’s government.
They also voiced firm support to Afars’ right to self-determination within a democratic Eritrean federal framework.
The Conference which was held in Uppsala under the theme, ‘Towards Political, Social & Economic Emancipation of the Red Sea Afar People’, denounced the alleged genocidal policies of the Eritrean government against the Afar minorities.
The conference called on the UN and the international community at large to pressure Eritrea to immediately stop what they said was an ethnic cleansing policy against the Red Sea Afar people.
 |
| RSADO chairman, Ibrahim Haron |
He added that thousands more have disappeared and many others are detained indefinitely without charge.
“We appeal to the UN to put pressure on the Eritrean government to respect the basic human rights of the Eritrean people particularly the Afar people” said a communiqué from the conference.
Participants at the conference thoroughly discussed and consulted over current situations at home and on refugee crises elsewhere.
“We appeal to the UN to give the Afar refugees in Djibouti and Yemen, the protection they have right to under Geneva Convention”, the statement said.
Speaking to Sudan Tribune, RSADO chairman, Ibrahim Haron, on Sunday renewed his organisation’s call for united military action against the Eritrean government.
Haron called on all Eritrean opposition forces, the Eritrean Army and Eritrean people at home and aboard to jointly step-up their struggle to topple the dictatorial government in the Red Sea nation.
Meanwhile, thousands of Eritrean Afar refugees in Ethiopia’s Afar region and in the capital Addis Ababa on Sunday rally in support of the resolutions passed by the conference.
The refugees said they fully support armed struggle as the only option to overthrow president Isaias Afwerki’s government.
They also voiced firm support to Afars’ right to self-determination within a democratic Eritrean federal framework.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Police arrest Eritrean man in Ashdod (Israel) after he allegedly stabbed girlfriend
An Eritrean man was arrested after allegedly stabbing his girlfriend
in the neck and attempting to hang himself in what police are saying was
an attempted murder suicide last night in Ashdod.
Lachish District Spokeswoman Shlomit Zachariya said at 1 a.m. police arrived at the couple's apartment on Natan Elbaz street in Ashdod to find the woman lightly hurt and man in serious condition, and that both were taken by paramedics to Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot for treatment.
Zachariya said police have opened an investigation into the incident, which they believe derived from some sort of romantic dispute between the two.
Magen David Adom spokesman Zaki Heller said that paramedics received a call around 1am about a brawl in the street and when they arrived they found the man on the ground in moderate condition with a severe blow to his head. Heller said the man had hung himself from a tree on the street outside the apartment and he suffered the blow to.his head after he fell to the ground when his friend cut him free from the rope around his neck.
Lachish District Spokeswoman Shlomit Zachariya said at 1 a.m. police arrived at the couple's apartment on Natan Elbaz street in Ashdod to find the woman lightly hurt and man in serious condition, and that both were taken by paramedics to Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot for treatment.
Zachariya said police have opened an investigation into the incident, which they believe derived from some sort of romantic dispute between the two.
Magen David Adom spokesman Zaki Heller said that paramedics received a call around 1am about a brawl in the street and when they arrived they found the man on the ground in moderate condition with a severe blow to his head. Heller said the man had hung himself from a tree on the street outside the apartment and he suffered the blow to.his head after he fell to the ground when his friend cut him free from the rope around his neck.
Human Rights group to detail abuse at Eritrean mine
A human rights group will issue a report next week detailing
workers' claims of abuse at a mine owned by Canadian gold miner Nevsun
Resources Ltd in Eritrea.
"The report
we're releasing next week describes the allegations against Nevsun and
its contractor in some detail," said Chris Albin-Lackey, a senior
researcher with Human Rights Watch, on Friday. But on Friday, Nevsun chief executive Cliff Davis tried to dismiss
concerns the company is not doing enough to keep its Eritrea-based Bisha
mine free of conscripted workers.
“I’m very comfortable there are not any conscripted workers on site,” he said in an interview.
However, he could not say for certain that there was no forced labour at the project in 2009, when the concerns first surfaced. He acknowledged that the company should have taken more steps to make sure there wasn’t any, and expressed regret if there were conscripts.
The pending report prompted Nevsun to issue a statement expressing regret over allegations that a contractor had used forced labour during the construction of its Bisha gold project.
The Bisha mine is the only modern mining project in the nation and employs about 1,000 locals.
Shortly after construction started in 2008, claims surfaced that one of the company's contractors, Segen Construction, was using forced labourers from the country's national service program.
While Nevsun said it was required to use state-managed Segen for certain construction work, it said the use of conscripted labour at the Bisha site is not permitted.
"The company expresses regret if certain employees of Segen were conscripts four years ago, in the early part of the Bisha Mine's construction phase," Nevsun said in a statement.
The company said that it has procedures in place to ensure that all individuals working at the Bisha mine are there of their own free will and are not conscripts.
The gold mine is majority owned by Nevsun and produced some 313,000 ounces of gold in 2012.
The Human Rights Watch report, which details mining-related abuses in Eritrea, will be released on January 15.
Forced conscription of citizens to work without pay for an undetermined period of time is a serious issue in Eritrea. Several hundred refugees cross the border into neighbouring Ethiopia each month to escape the practice, the United Nation's refugee agency said in a report in July 2012.
Nevsun's disastrous reserve overestimate
“With hindsight, it’s fair to say that perhaps we didn’t do enough at the very beginning,” he said.
When Vancouver-based Nevsun initiated construction of Bisha in late 2008, the government ordered the miner to enlist a state-controlled contractor called Segen Construction for some of the work. Eritrea is a fierce dictatorship, and Nevsun had no choice but to comply.
By early 2009, there were concerns that at least some of Segen’s work
force was made up of forced labourers from the government’s national
service. They allegedly worked extremely long hours and had to live in
unsanitary conditions for minimal pay.
Once the allegations surfaced, Mr. Davis said that Nevsun got a written guarantee from Segen that it would not use forced labour on site, and it began examining documentation from all of Segen’s employees in early 2009.
The Bisha mine entered production in early 2011. Last year, Nevsun tried to do some additional construction work without Segen. The Eritrean government intervened and forced the company to re-hire Segen as a contractor.
Some activists are still concerned the company is not doing enough to ensure there is no forced labour at the site. Nevsun has not visited the camp where Segen’s workers live and does not know how much they are paid, Mr. Davis said.
The Nevsun situation highlights the extreme risks and challenges that Canadian miners are facing when they work in autocratic countries, particularly those with no history of large-scale mining. Eritrea is facing numerous sanctions from the international community for supporting militants in Somalia.
Mr. Davis maintains that Nevsun’s investment is a major positive for the country. “We’re not the state. We’re contributing huge value to thousands of people in Eritrea,” he said.
Bisha is Eritrea’s first large-scale mine, but other mining companies are active in the country on earlier-stage projects. They will also have to deal with Segen and the forced labour concerns if they reach the construction phase.
“As we get closer to construction, it’s something we’ll have to pay close attention to,” said Greg Davis, vice-president of business development at Sunridge Gold Corp., which controls the Asmara project in Eritrea.
 |
| Human Rights Watch researcher Chris Albin-Lackey |
“I’m very comfortable there are not any conscripted workers on site,” he said in an interview.
However, he could not say for certain that there was no forced labour at the project in 2009, when the concerns first surfaced. He acknowledged that the company should have taken more steps to make sure there wasn’t any, and expressed regret if there were conscripts.
The pending report prompted Nevsun to issue a statement expressing regret over allegations that a contractor had used forced labour during the construction of its Bisha gold project.
The Bisha mine is the only modern mining project in the nation and employs about 1,000 locals.
Shortly after construction started in 2008, claims surfaced that one of the company's contractors, Segen Construction, was using forced labourers from the country's national service program.
While Nevsun said it was required to use state-managed Segen for certain construction work, it said the use of conscripted labour at the Bisha site is not permitted.
"The company expresses regret if certain employees of Segen were conscripts four years ago, in the early part of the Bisha Mine's construction phase," Nevsun said in a statement.
The company said that it has procedures in place to ensure that all individuals working at the Bisha mine are there of their own free will and are not conscripts.
The gold mine is majority owned by Nevsun and produced some 313,000 ounces of gold in 2012.
The Human Rights Watch report, which details mining-related abuses in Eritrea, will be released on January 15.
Forced conscription of citizens to work without pay for an undetermined period of time is a serious issue in Eritrea. Several hundred refugees cross the border into neighbouring Ethiopia each month to escape the practice, the United Nation's refugee agency said in a report in July 2012.
Nevsun's disastrous reserve overestimate
“With hindsight, it’s fair to say that perhaps we didn’t do enough at the very beginning,” he said.
When Vancouver-based Nevsun initiated construction of Bisha in late 2008, the government ordered the miner to enlist a state-controlled contractor called Segen Construction for some of the work. Eritrea is a fierce dictatorship, and Nevsun had no choice but to comply.
 | |
| Memebers of Eritrean national service at Bisha Mine project |
Once the allegations surfaced, Mr. Davis said that Nevsun got a written guarantee from Segen that it would not use forced labour on site, and it began examining documentation from all of Segen’s employees in early 2009.
The Bisha mine entered production in early 2011. Last year, Nevsun tried to do some additional construction work without Segen. The Eritrean government intervened and forced the company to re-hire Segen as a contractor.
Some activists are still concerned the company is not doing enough to ensure there is no forced labour at the site. Nevsun has not visited the camp where Segen’s workers live and does not know how much they are paid, Mr. Davis said.
The Nevsun situation highlights the extreme risks and challenges that Canadian miners are facing when they work in autocratic countries, particularly those with no history of large-scale mining. Eritrea is facing numerous sanctions from the international community for supporting militants in Somalia.
Mr. Davis maintains that Nevsun’s investment is a major positive for the country. “We’re not the state. We’re contributing huge value to thousands of people in Eritrea,” he said.
Bisha is Eritrea’s first large-scale mine, but other mining companies are active in the country on earlier-stage projects. They will also have to deal with Segen and the forced labour concerns if they reach the construction phase.
“As we get closer to construction, it’s something we’ll have to pay close attention to,” said Greg Davis, vice-president of business development at Sunridge Gold Corp., which controls the Asmara project in Eritrea.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Tel Aviv rape case : Eritrean rapist deemed mentally unstable
An Eritrean man accused of the violent assault and rape of a Tel Aviv woman was released from the Abarbanel
Mental Health Center and neither the police nor the State Prosecutor's Office were informed.
According to the indictment filed about six months ago, Dawit Gabarzagbir, 21, from Eritrea
entered the home of the middle-aged woman at 3:30 am, hit her on the
head with a brick, threatened her with a knife and tried raping her.
At the time, the police requested that Dawit be remanded
pending the conclusion of the legal proceedings but during the October
trial, proceedings against him were terminated after he was declared
mentally unstable and admitted to the Abarbanel Mental Health Center for
treatment. The State Prosecutor's Office
promised to follow the progress of his treatment but on November 26, a
psychiatric committee determined that the accused should be released.
Two days later, the State Prosecutor's Office filed a new indictment on
the subject, but Gabarzagbir was already freed.
Just a month later, after the authorities completely ignored the chain of events and the accused was released, his name was raised as a possible suspect in the rape of the elderly lady from south Tel Aviv A police investigation at the medical center unveiled to investigators that Gabarzagbir was released and then came the suspicion that he may have managed to attack again. His photo was distributed amongst police officers from the Tel Aviv District, intelligence coordinators were instructed to locate him and he was caught in the Neve Sha'anan neighborhood after less than 24 hours.
Tel Aviv State Attorney's Office on Thursday issued an indictment against him accused of raping an 83-year-old woman in south Tel Aviv some two weeks ago. The man was charged with rape, abuse and indecent acts. According to the
indictment, the suspect arrived at the victim's home in the early
morning hours approximately two weeks ago, jumped over a fence into her
courtyard and raped her repeatedly.The indictment charges that
the incident continued for hours and that the suspect also struck the
victim a number of times. The suspect allegedly stopped his attack and
fled when a relative of the woman arrived at the scene.The victim was caused bodily trauma by the attack and was hospitalized for a week following the incident.The Tel Aviv State Attorney's Office has requested that the suspect remain in custody during legal proceedings against him.Police identified the suspect using DNA taken at the scene.The suspect was not cooperating with investigators and was only saying that he didn’t remember anything, police said.
 |
| Dawit Gabarzagbir during investigation |
Just a month later, after the authorities completely ignored the chain of events and the accused was released, his name was raised as a possible suspect in the rape of the elderly lady from south Tel Aviv A police investigation at the medical center unveiled to investigators that Gabarzagbir was released and then came the suspicion that he may have managed to attack again. His photo was distributed amongst police officers from the Tel Aviv District, intelligence coordinators were instructed to locate him and he was caught in the Neve Sha'anan neighborhood after less than 24 hours.
 |
| Rape victim's house |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)