Whoaaaaaa a 20 Hours - that's better...................
Dook has it at Siguiri - apparently a quite a well off spot (by Guinean standards) due to the gold mines around there . The airport is now served by a new airline - the state one went bust years ago and it seems to have been mainly charters for years. Unfortunately still a lot of HIV and even ebola around.........
The Siguiri gold mine is found within the Siguiri District in the north-east of the Republic of Guinea, West Africa, about 850km from the capital city of Conakry. The nearest important town is Siguiri (approximately 50,000 inhabitants), located on the banks of the Niger River. Bamako, the capital of Mali is 300km away. A majority stake in the mine (85%) was bought by Ashanti Goldfields in 1996 and became a part of AngloGold Ashanti when the two companies merged in 2004. The government of The Republic of Guinea holds a 15% interest in the mine. The first shipment of gold from Siguiri took place in April 1998. Total production for 2009 was 316,000oz compared with the 333,000oz the previous year. Around 2,973 employees and contractors work at the Siguiri mine. Total capital expenditure on the project for 2007 was $US22m.
The mine is located in the heart of an ancient gold mining region, thought to have been known since the 13th century as the basis of the Mandingo Empire. At its peak this empire controlled an area in West Africa the size of the United States. Unlike in many other areas in Africa, the orpaillage (translated as gold-washing), or artisanal mining system is highly formalised and forms an integral part of village structures. However, there have been numerous clashes between the miner AngloGold Ashanti and some groups of artisanal miners who have been found operating beyond the traditional orpaillage system and therefore agreed areas. On some occasions, mainly during the rainy season, as many as 10,000 people have been involved in pit invasions when artisanal workings are flooded or inaccessible. AngloGold recently announced that it had engaged the services of a specialist consultancy to assist with future disputes.
The ore and waste is mined by a mining contractor in a conventional open-pit mining operation. Ore is treated using carbon-in-pulp (CIP) and heap-leach processes. In 2009, the CIP plant increased volumes to 10.4Mt.
