Illegal artisanal miners at Acacia Mining's North Mara mine, Tanzania
Photo by: Bloomberg
TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Acacia Mining, formerly African Barrick Gold (ABG), has settled outside of a UK Court with a group of Tanzanian locals regarding alleged deaths and injuries caused by security and police guarding the company's North Mara mine, which had a history of illegal artisanal mining, the International Group Claims team at UK-based law firm Leigh Day announced on Friday.
Law firm partner Shanta Martin issued a statement saying: “The claims were denied by Acacia Mining and NMGML [North Mara Gold Mine Limited]. The litigation and further claims have been settled out of court.”
Martin did not provide any further information.
An Acacia spokesperson declined to provide more information, saying the settlement was subject to a confidentiality clause.
At the North Mara mine, which was one of Acacia’s best performing mines last year, the company had been dealing with deterring illegal artisanal miners from entering the property.
London-based Leigh Day was assisting at least nine local villagers to pursue claims against ABG and its Tanzanian subsidiary NMGML in the High Court of England and Wales for deaths and injuries they claimed were a result of the excessive use of force by mine security and police, including the frequent use of live ammunition.
Six of the claims related to deaths by gunshot, while injured young men brought three claims, including one man made paraplegic by a gunshot wound through his spine, the law firm reported last year.