News Report: Nigeria Denies Sending Troops To Mali

Fighters Of The Islamic Group Ansar Dine. Photo Credit: AFP

Credit: AFP

Nigeria has not sent troops to Mali despite claims that it was backing the country's army in an offensive against Islamists who control the country's north, a defence spokesman said on Saturday.

"We have not sent anything," Colonel Mohammed Yerima told AFP. "Nothing. We have responded that we are going to send troops."

Yerima could not provide further details on when troops might be deployed or how many. Nigeria has previously spoken of sending 600 troops to take part in an African force to help Mali's army win back the country's north.

A spokesman for Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Mali's army said Nigerian and Senegalese forces were involved in Friday's offensive which was backed by French air power. Dakar has however also denied having any troops there.

The UN Security Council has approved a 3,000-strong force, but it is not expected to be ready to deploy before September.

The chairman of the west African bloc ECOWAS on Friday authorised the immediate deployment of troops, but gave no further details on how or when it would occur.

In a statement on Saturday, the head of the ECOWAS commission said "measures will be taken to implement this decision."

Nigeria has the largest military in the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States, but it is also battling an insurgency by Islamist extremist group Boko Haram in its northern and central regions.

The Islamists' advance in Mali has raised fears that the country could provide a safe haven for Al Qaeda-linked extremists, posing a threat to the region as well as Europe and beyond.

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Report: Nevsun Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2012

The purpose of this report is to provide a concise account of Nevsun Resources Ltd.’s corporate social responsibility practices for the year ended December 31, 2011, the first full year of operations for our 60%-owned Bisha Mine in Eritrea. This corporate social responsibility report, our first, identifies and discusses issues that are important to our stakeholders, including our Board of Directors, management, shareholders, employees and the people of Eritrea. We welcome comments from its stakeholders with regard to this report. Going forward, we expect to update its corporate social responsibility performance at least annually. The data in this report has been prepared by management and has not been independently verified.

We operate the Bisha Mine as a sustainable development and therefore one of our objectives is to provide tangible benefits to the people of Eritrea. Because the Bisha Mine is the only modern mine in Eritrea, it has a significant impact on the Eritrean economy. Beyond employment, the Bisha Mine provides opportunities for training, community support, supply chain enhancements and improved infrastructure. Financially, the Bisha Mine provides revenue to the State of Eritrea by way of income taxes, royalties,employment taxes and distributions to owners.

We developed the Bisha Mine in conformance with the 2006 International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards for Social and Environmental Sustainability as applied to  non-IFC financed projects in accordance with the Equator Principles. The social and  environmental policies adopted for the Bisha Mine reflect global standards.

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