London-based firm African Minerals has claimed to have found an 11.7-billion-ton deposit of iron ore about 140 miles east of the capital city Freetown. The company said that over 10,000 jobs could be created if the discovery holds true, but locals are already up in arms about the project. The iron ore is also near the 50-MW Bumbuna hydroelectric dam, valued at over $200 million and it, too, could possibly suffer backlash as locals are calling it sacred ground.
African Minerals could be the single largest employer in the country, but it needs land. And with some claiming that the company is already falling short on its promises for aid, many locals are refusing to evacuate the area in which African Minerals so desperately needs. On November 25, disappointment grew into riots as residents staged protests. Police were forced to use tear gas and shot live rounds in the air in order to disperse the crowd. However, reports surfaced that several people were badly beaten.
That night, younger residents went to the mining site and destroyed a $400,000 drilling rig owned by African Minerals. Although the company plans to continue its mining, tensions are mounting.
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