Russian gold mining company Alliance for Mining Ltd has denied allegations that it owes money to local communities in eastern Sudan, amid a dispute that has halted operations at two mining sites.
Protesters in Red Sea State suspended the company’s activities on Sunday, citing disagreements over corporate social responsibility payments and demands for greater employment opportunities for local residents.
Alliance said in a statement on Tuesday that it had met all of its financial commitments to communities in the Wadi al-Ushar area, including transferring agreed profit-sharing payments to designated community accounts.
According to the company, an agreement mediated by a committee from Sudan’s Minerals Ministry provided for the handover of the A15 and A7 gold mines to Alliance in exchange for payments to the local community.
The company said the agreed funds were deposited into an account designated by local leader Omda Abu Talib and his aide, Ibrahim Mansour. However, Alliance said the two mining sites have not yet been handed over.
Alliance added that it continues to pay government fees and annual rents associated with both concessions despite local artisanal miners remaining in control of the sites and continuing to extract gold there.
The company operates in the Haya area near the boundary between Red Sea and River Nile states, around 100 kilometres from Port Sudan.
Alliance began operations in Red Sea State in 2013 and has since become one of Sudan’s significant gold producers, forming part of the broader Russian investment presence in the country’s mining sector.
