Mineral industry of Somalia
The mineral industry of
The collapse of the central Government and the Somali Republic in 1991 led to ambiguity over mineral rights.[1] The governing authority of Somaliland, formerly part of the Republic, granted East African Mining Corp. Ltd. exclusive rights to explore all mineral deposits in Somaliland.[1] The company planned to start producing gemstones and marble in the Berbera area in mid-2006.[1]
In June 2006, Range Resources Ltd. of Australia announced that its agreement with the governing authority of Puntland (which is located in northern Somalia) that gave the company a majority interest in the rights to all mineral and mineral fuel exploration in Puntland was supported by the TFG.[1] The agreement was previously declared to be invalid on the grounds that only the national Government had the authority to negotiate mineral rights.[1] Range planned to farm out or form joint-venture agreements for some properties.[1]
As of 2006, mineral production and trade data continued to be unavailable because of the lack of a functioning central Government since 1991 and the conflict that pervaded most of the country.
Gemstone and salt producers appear to be
References
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey (August 2007). This article incorporates text from this U.S. government source, which is in the public domain.