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Article

30 Oct 2017

Author:
Rebecca Ratcliffe, The Guardian (UK)

AML former subsidiary company taken to London court on behalf of 41 people from Sierra Leone over alleged company involvement in "deadly police crackdown" against workers in 2012

"Mining company accused over deadly police crackdown in Sierra Leone", 25 Oct 2017

An iron ore company once listed in London is accused of presiding over a deadly police crackdown in Sierra Leone, where villagers were arrested, beaten and killed. Evidence to be presented to the high court on Thursday will allege the company’s involvement in the police operation. The multimillion pound case against Tonkolili Iron Ore Ltd, formerly a subsidiary of African Minerals Ltd, has been brought by London law firm Leigh Day on behalf of 41 people from Bumbuna, in the north of Sierra Leone. According to a witness statement given by a commander, AML ordered the operational support division, the armed wing of the country’s police, to shoot at workers “causing problems” during a strike at one of its mines in 2012. During a patrol of the local area by members of the division, police fired at villagers, killing a young woman, the commander said...According to witness statements, the police acted under instructions from the company during the strike. In written evidence, the operational support division commander described an AML manager as “superior, even to my commander”, and said that the staff member handed out alcohol and money to officers on a daily basis...The mining company declined to comment on the allegations. In January 2017, 101 claims relating to the case were settled. On Thursday, Leigh Day will ask for anonymity for a number of individuals giving evidence.