Mauritania: Company drags Mauritanian govt. to court over breach of contract

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) – Bumi-Mauritania, a mining company and a subsidiary of the international corporation Bumi Tamago Plc, has dragged the Mauritanian government to an international conflict resolution centre “for abusive breach of contract”.

The centre, called the international conflict-resolution centre linked to investments (CIRDI) has its headquarters in Washington, US, sources close to the company told PANA here on Friday.

The said contract focuses on the exploitation and exploration of iron minerals in northern Nouakchott.

The dispute with the Mauritanian ministry of Oil, Energy and Mines dates back to 2013.

The mining site, object of the dispute, has an annual capacity of 600,000 tonnes of iron minerals and is ready for exploitation, thanks to a series of preliminary works, costing over US$ 40 million.

The Mauritanian government said it withdrew from the deal following what it called "a loss of right".
-0- PANA SAS/JSG/MSA/VAO 12Sept2014