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Article

11 Feb 2015

Author:
Mary Milne, Traidcraft

North Mara victims receive compensation

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Samwel had been shot through the spine by police acting on the instructions of the owners of the North Mara gold mine, a UK-based company then known as African Barrick Gold. The company has subsequently changed its name to Acacia Mining plc...At an incident in 2011 the company responded by calling in the police, who then used live ammunition to drive the villagers away. We know that at least 16 people were killed after being shot at the mine. Yes, there was a problem with security, but the response was heavy-handed and inappropriate....Samwel, paralysed since the 2011 shooting, was one of a group of local people who, with the support of a UK human rights law firm, sued the company through the English courts. On Friday, we heard the news that the claimants and the company have settled the case out of court...The company has always claimed that they were not responsible, and in settling the case has made no admission of liability. On Friday, Leigh Day, the UK law firm acting for Tanzanian claimants tweeted a picture of Samwel, looking delighted, from his hospital bed. We hope that any payout which has been agreed will be sufficient for him to get the medical treatment he needs (no NHS in Tanzania) and to give the family an income to live on. But what are the wider implications of this case?