Guinea

In 2012, the area surrounding the village of Zoghota in Guinée Forestière was the site of iron ore exploration by VBG, a joint venture owned by Brazilian mining giant Vale and BSG Resources (the company owned by Israeli diamond mogul Benny Steinmetz). Conflicts soon surfaced – the company was alleged to have mismanaged funds and failed to employ local youths, and the local Prefect was believed to have misappropriated the percentage of VBG’s royalty payments that were destined for community development. Moreover, exploration activities were causing environmental damage and desecration to a mountain that was sacred to the local population’s ancestors.

When the community’s attempts to raise their concerns with local authorities were ignored, they turned to a more extreme course of action: they occupied the mine site and prevented company personnel from entering. Reports circulated that the community members were stealing mine assets and vandalizing the property, and the company airlifted security forces to the area to retake the site. The villagers withdrew peacefully, relying on a promise by high-level government officials that they would meet with concerned community members about their complaints.

At approximately 1:00 a.m. on August 4, 2012 – the night before the planned meeting, a joint task force of gendarmes, police, and military attacked the village of Zoghota. As the sleeping villagers roused themselves to investigate the invasion, they encountered a hail of gunshots and tear gas canisters. Five villagers were killed on the spot, and sixth died of his wounds in the following days. Over a dozen villagers were arrested, some of whom were tortured by gendarmes. Homes and other buildings were torched, and almost the entire village fled.

Shortly after the attack, a Guinean human rights NGO, Les Mêmes Droits pour Tous (MDT), filed a criminal complaint against the military and police commanders responsible for the attack. However, the complaint never moved forward – the defendants refused to show up in court, and the case was eventually transferred to military jurisdiction, where it languished.

In 2013, the VBG concession was cancelled due to a massive corruption scandal, and mining has never returned to Zoghota. In 2019, however, it was announced that Niron Metals – another company associated with Mr. Steinmetz, would be granted the Zoghota concession.