Aim-listed Hummingbird Resources says 14 new holes drilled at the Sanioumale East (SE) deposit at the Yanfolila gold mine, in Mali, have shown “excellent” high-grade openpit potential.

In an update to shareholders on its 2021 drilling programme at Yanfolila, it notes that, of significance, is hole SNERC0425, showing 5.33 g/t gold at surface for about 40 m.

Further high-grade zones are continuing to be intersected, at depth, with two assay values returning grades of 212.35 g/t in hole SNERC0423 and 93.3 g/t in hole SNERC0431.

These 14 new holes have focussed on finding additional resources in the current SE central pit area, where Hummingbird has drilled extensively in 2020 and 2021, with mineralisation being delineated down to 150 m below surface, with the mineralisation remaining open and continuing with good grades.

Hummingbird says the results continue to provide further confidence that it will build on the 2020 Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant mineral resource base of 204 000 oz at the SE deposit.

The company notes that 13 836 m of the planned 15 000 m drill programme have been completed at SE as part of the its current exploration campaign at Yanfolila.

The balance of the drill programme will focus on drilling the areas between the three potential openpits identified in the 2020 mineral resource estimate at SE to determine if the pits could be joined up or extend deeper than currently defined; and diamond drilling to follow up on a number of holes that encountered mineralisation at depths of greater than 200 m.

Targeting these deeper zones could add to the openpit resources, as well as demonstrate the SE deposit’s underground potential, the company says.

Hummingbird remains on track to release an updated reserve statement later this year.

“It is important to note that this morning’s results are not infill drilling but are the continuation of extensions to the known resources at SE. They provide increasing confidence in our ability to add economic resources and therefore mine life at Yanfolila,” CEO Dann Betts comments.

He adds that one of the company’s key priorities at the Yanfolila mine this year has been to stabilise operational performance to ensure a more reliable platform and to build tangible value through extending the mine life, with these results and the continued exploration programme being strong steps in this direction.

“We also continue to explore at Dugbe, in Liberia, through our joint venture partner Pasofino, and increasingly at our Kouroussa project, in Guinea, both of which are also aimed at showcasing the considerable exploration upside Hummingbird has across its portfolio in order to increase the value of our projects,” Betts says.