We, the civil society organisations working on natural resources in Sierra Leone...are worried over the level of and frequency of violence that is occurring in that once peaceful community...It may be recalled that workers of the African Minerals Limited staged a protest in the Bumbuna mine site on Monday 16th April 2012 over low wages and unfair treatment meted out by their employers. The highhanded response of the police deployed to maintain security around the site led to the death of one person and the wounding of many others...It is worthy to note that the use of excessive force against defenseless and peaceful citizens protesting against the inhumane treatment meted out to them by mining companies operating in the country has become a disturbing phenomenon. The police are in most cases accused of doing this at the behest of the mining companies. [also refers to Koidu Holdings (part of Beny Steinmetz Group)]