A Canadian mining company [has] defended its activities in Eritrea — a nation dubbed the “North Korea of Africa” by some — at a Commons Subcommittee on International Human Rights meeting...Cliff Davis, president and CEO of Vancouver-based Nevsun Resources Ltd., testified before the subcommittee on Nevsun’s mine in Bisha, Eritrea...“Eritrea is an underdeveloped country. It represents a challenging environment for a Canadian company, especially a small company like Nevsun,” Davis told the subcommittee...[Human rights organisations had raised] concerns about the poor treatment of Eritrean workers by Segen Construction, a government-owned Eritrean company hired by Nevsun at the mine...[including that they] work “16 hour days,” are paid little, sleep in “makeshift-like camps” and eat poorly. She also noted that some of the subcontracted workers are military conscripts used as “slaves,” who risk persecution from the government for fleeing mandatory service. [also refers to Bisha Mining Share Company (joint venture Nevsun Resources & Govt. of Eritrea)]