African Minerals Vs Kemadugu... Villagers Flee Police Brutality

Residents of Kemadugu village in Tonkolili district are still hiding in the bushes five days after a standoff between them and the iron ore mining company, African Minerals.

The encroachment on the villager’s farm land and the attempted embankment of the main water source by the African Minerals is said to have triggered violent protest against the company.

Irate youth on Thursday abducted two expatriate workers and burnt down two machines worth millions of dollars. The two expatriates who were later released had gone to do a survey on a land which the company claimed the chiefs had agreed to give to them, but the chiefs have denied the claim.

A contingent of riot Police called in to quell the protest employed what has been described as maximum and unreasonable force during which at least one woman is said to have sustained head injuries, a development which caused the villagers to flee in to the bushes.  There are also unconfirmed reports that the Police also stole goats and other livestock.

Chief Musa Turay of Kemadugu Village denied in a Radio Democracy interview yesterday that they had agreed to give African Minerals the land in question. He said when they noticed the company’s activities in the area, they registered their protest, adding that while negotiations were ongoing, the company went ahead with their planned activities.

The local Chief also confirmed that villagers were still hiding in the bushes for fear of Police brutality. African Minerals head of Public Affairs, Anthony Navo did not respond to several calls made to his cell phone numbers as we went to press last night.