Nevsun Resources Ltd was a Canadian diversified mid-tier miner with a portfolio of base metal assets. The company was acquired by
Zijin Mining Group Company Limited on December 29, 2018. The company's three principal assets are its ownership interest in the Timok Project, a high-grade copper-gold development project in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
, its Bisha zinc-copper mine in
Eritrea, and its balance sheet. The company also holds a number of additional exploration licences and permits in Serbia, Macedonia, and in the Bisha mining district.
Operations
* The Timok Project was acquired through the acquisition of Reservoir Minerals Inc on June 23, 2016, and is a joint venture between Nevsun and
Freeport-McMoRan Exploration Corporation (“Freeport”).
* The Bisha Mine is a
volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit
Volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits, also known as VMS ore deposits, are a type of metal sulfide ore deposit, mainly copper-zinc which are associated with and created by volcanic-associated hydrothermal events in submarine environments.
...
which has been in production since February 2011. The mine focuses on extracting gold, copper ore, and zinc.
Human rights violations
In November 2014, three former employees of the Bisha Mine filed a civil suit in British Columbia against Nevsun Resources for complicity in torture, forced labour, slavery, and crimes against humanity.
Company CEO Cliff Davis responded, saying: "We are confident that the allegations are unfounded. Based on various company-led and third party audits, the Bisha Mine has adhered at all times to international standards of governance, workplace conditions, and health and safety. We are committed to ensuring that the Bisha Mine is managed in a safe and responsible manner that respects the interests of local communities, workers, national governance, stakeholders, and the natural environment."
Nevsun has previously received criticism from
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
for failing to exercise proper human rights due diligence when engaging with a country where
forced labour is allegedly practiced.
A
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
report released in January 2013 found that Nevsun Resources failed to take the risks of forced labour seriously and then struggled to address allegations of abuse connected to the Bisha Mine in Eritrea. Eritrea's government maintains a “national service” program that conscripts Eritreans into prolonged and indefinite terms of forced labor, generally under abusive conditions. It is through this forced labor program that mining companies run the most direct risk of involvement in the Eritrean government's human rights violations.
In 2016, the
Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled that the case against Nevsun can proceed in the Canadian courts. The decision was upheld on appeal to the
British Columbia Court of Appeal
The British Columbia Court of Appeal (BCCA) is the highest appellate court in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It was established in 1910 following the 1907 Court of Appeal Act.
The BCCA hears appeals from the Supreme Court of Britis ...
in November 2017. On January 26, 2018, Nevsun sought leave to appeal to the
Supreme Court of Canada. In February 2020, the Supreme Court upheld the decision from the British Columbia Court of Appeal in ''
Nevsun Resources Ltd v Araya
''Nevsun Resources Ltd v Araya'', 2020 SCC 5 is a landmark case in which the Supreme Court of Canada held, in a 5–4 decision, that a private corporation may be liable under Canadian law for breaches of customary international law committed in o ...
'', stating that the case against Nevsun can proceed in Canadian courts.
See also
*
Land restoration
Land restoration, which may include renaturalisation or rewilding, is the process of ecological restoration of a site to a natural landscape and habitat, safe for humans, wildlife, and plant communities. Ecological destruction, to which land resto ...
*
Mine closure planning {{No footnotes, date=July 2009
Mine closure planning involves planning effectively for the after-mining landscape – all activities required before, during, and after the operating life of a mine that are needed to produce an acceptable landscape ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nevsun Resources
Companies formerly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange
Mining companies of Canada
Companies based in Vancouver