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Looters Ransack Gemfields’ Ethiopia Operation
Aug 2, 2018 7:34 AM
By Rapaport News
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RAPAPORT... Gemfields Group has suffered further unrest at its
emerald-exploration operation in Ethiopia, with looters vandalizing the site
and stealing gemstones, the miner said Wednesday.
The perpetrators gained access to the sorting house on
Tuesday and broke into the safe, stealing the emeralds inside it. They also
took equipment and instruments, and ransacked the residential camp belonging to
Web Gemstone Mining (WGM), the Gemfields subsidiary that owns the license to
the project.
Additionally, a “significant” number of firearm-bearing
illegal miners and handlers have penetrated the location, Gemfields added.
Police arrived on the scene and attempted to stop these
activities, but became overwhelmed and abandoned the site, the company
continued.
No Gemfields employees were hurt. Several perpetrators sustained
injuries while breaking into the sorting house, a construction comprising 40-foot
shipping containers.
In June, a 300- to 500-person mob overran the site, resulting
in injuries to two company employees. Gemfields believes the mob was spurred by
a faction seeking a portion of WGM’s license.
WGM continues to work with local and national authorities in
an attempt to prevent further attacks.
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Tags:
emerald, Ethiopia, Gemfields, Gemfields Group, Rapaport News, Web Gemstone Mining, WGM
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