July 23, 2017 12:07 pm by David Pilling
Acacia Mining, which is in the midst of a multibillion-dollar dispute with the Tanzanian government over tax and royalties, is facing renewed pressure to address long-running alleged human rights violations at one of its mines in the east African country.
Since 2014, at least 22 people have been killed and 69 injured, many after being shot at or near Acacia’s North Mara gold mine, according to Rights and Accountability in Development, a UK charity, which accuses the London-listed miner of taking a “militarised” approach to guarding its assets in one of Tanzania’s poorest regions.
It was “unfathomable” that Acacia was not addressing human rights concerns as part of high-level discussions with the government to resolve a separate tax dispute, Anneke Van Woudenberg, executive director of RAID, said.
Acacia said: “We confirm there have been no fatalities at North Mara caused by Acacia’s security personnel in the timeframes set out by RAID. Over the past five years, North Mara has devoted significant time, effort and investment into local community relations which has resulted in a dramatic improvement in its relationship with the community.”
The company said it had published the number of deaths at North Mara in its annual report and that these showed a declining number, falling from 17 in 2014 to six in 2016. It said police had always acted lawfully and had only resorted to the use of firearms when their lives were threatened.
The Tanzanian government has accused Acacia, which is 63.9 per cent owned by Canada’s Barrick Gold, of massively understating concentrations of gold in its exports, thereby cheating the treasury of tens of billions of dollars, a claim vigorously denied by Acacia.
Last month, John Thornton, executive chairman of Barrick Gold, flew to Tanzania in his private jet in an effort to resolve the matter personally with John Magufuli, Tanzania’s president, who has adopted a robustly nationalistic stance towards foreign investors, particularly in the extractive industries.
On Friday, Acacia said an export ban on unprocessed ore had nearly halved its cash pile to $176m by the end of June from the start of the year.
Tanzanian and international human rights groups hope the tax controversy presents a fresh opportunity to pressure Acacia over what they allege are deep-seated problems at the North Mara mine, which is close to several villages.
A mini-industry has developed in which locals, some of them former farmers, pan for tiny quantities of gold in discarded waste rock. On some occasions, when Acacia’s private security guards have been unable to expel those it refers to as “intruders” from the mine, it calls in Tanzanian police whose allegedly heavy handed response has resulted in multiple deaths and serious injuries, including amputations and paralysis, RAID and others say.
We confirm there have been no fatalities at North Mara caused by Acacia’s security personnel in the timeframes set out by RAID
Acacia
Tanzanian human rights groups allege that as many as 300 people have been killed since the mine opened in 1999, though Acacia, which has operated North Mara since 2010, says the numbers are exaggerated. Many of the deaths and injuries, Acacia says, are caused by accidents, such as when villagers fall into open pits, fight among themselves or drown in pools of water.
In 2015, without admitting liability, Acacia settled out of court for an undisclosed sum after a case was brought against it in the London High Court following an incident in which six people were allegedly killed by police hired by Acacia. The company admits to providing per diem expenses for the police at its mine, but says it does not pay them directly.
This year, a new set of claimants retained UK-based solicitors Deighton Pierce Glynn, saying Acacia had been unwilling to compensate adequately for the death, serious injuries and rape of their loved ones at the mine, claims denied by Acacia.
Ms Van Woudenberg said no police or security guards had ever been killed in the numerous incidents at the mine. “They are trespassing. We don’t deny that,” she conceded of villagers, who she said were attempting to eke out a living from gold panning. “But shooting people is not the answer.”
Source. Financial Times
Acacia Mining, which is in the midst of a multibillion-dollar dispute with the Tanzanian government over tax and royalties, is facing renewed pressure to address long-running alleged human rights violations at one of its mines in the east African country.
Since 2014, at least 22 people have been killed and 69 injured, many after being shot at or near Acacia’s North Mara gold mine, according to Rights and Accountability in Development, a UK charity, which accuses the London-listed miner of taking a “militarised” approach to guarding its assets in one of Tanzania’s poorest regions.
It was “unfathomable” that Acacia was not addressing human rights concerns as part of high-level discussions with the government to resolve a separate tax dispute, Anneke Van Woudenberg, executive director of RAID, said.
Acacia said: “We confirm there have been no fatalities at North Mara caused by Acacia’s security personnel in the timeframes set out by RAID. Over the past five years, North Mara has devoted significant time, effort and investment into local community relations which has resulted in a dramatic improvement in its relationship with the community.”
The company said it had published the number of deaths at North Mara in its annual report and that these showed a declining number, falling from 17 in 2014 to six in 2016. It said police had always acted lawfully and had only resorted to the use of firearms when their lives were threatened.
The Tanzanian government has accused Acacia, which is 63.9 per cent owned by Canada’s Barrick Gold, of massively understating concentrations of gold in its exports, thereby cheating the treasury of tens of billions of dollars, a claim vigorously denied by Acacia.
Last month, John Thornton, executive chairman of Barrick Gold, flew to Tanzania in his private jet in an effort to resolve the matter personally with John Magufuli, Tanzania’s president, who has adopted a robustly nationalistic stance towards foreign investors, particularly in the extractive industries.
On Friday, Acacia said an export ban on unprocessed ore had nearly halved its cash pile to $176m by the end of June from the start of the year.
Tanzanian and international human rights groups hope the tax controversy presents a fresh opportunity to pressure Acacia over what they allege are deep-seated problems at the North Mara mine, which is close to several villages.
A mini-industry has developed in which locals, some of them former farmers, pan for tiny quantities of gold in discarded waste rock. On some occasions, when Acacia’s private security guards have been unable to expel those it refers to as “intruders” from the mine, it calls in Tanzanian police whose allegedly heavy handed response has resulted in multiple deaths and serious injuries, including amputations and paralysis, RAID and others say.
We confirm there have been no fatalities at North Mara caused by Acacia’s security personnel in the timeframes set out by RAID
Acacia
Tanzanian human rights groups allege that as many as 300 people have been killed since the mine opened in 1999, though Acacia, which has operated North Mara since 2010, says the numbers are exaggerated. Many of the deaths and injuries, Acacia says, are caused by accidents, such as when villagers fall into open pits, fight among themselves or drown in pools of water.
In 2015, without admitting liability, Acacia settled out of court for an undisclosed sum after a case was brought against it in the London High Court following an incident in which six people were allegedly killed by police hired by Acacia. The company admits to providing per diem expenses for the police at its mine, but says it does not pay them directly.
This year, a new set of claimants retained UK-based solicitors Deighton Pierce Glynn, saying Acacia had been unwilling to compensate adequately for the death, serious injuries and rape of their loved ones at the mine, claims denied by Acacia.
Ms Van Woudenberg said no police or security guards had ever been killed in the numerous incidents at the mine. “They are trespassing. We don’t deny that,” she conceded of villagers, who she said were attempting to eke out a living from gold panning. “But shooting people is not the answer.”
Source. Financial Times
