Barrick president and chief executive Mark Bristow said the group was proud of its human rights record around the world and of North Mara’s strong working relationship with the communities around the mine. Many of the mine’s employees have been drawn from the surrounding villages and in line with Barrick’s other operations, North Mara prioritises local employment and procurement ...

Bristow said Barrick was troubled by RAID’s involvement in the litigation as that organisation had a long history of making unfounded allegations about purported human rights abuses at North Mara. The current matter was the latest in a series of lawyer-driven litigation concerning security incidents at and around the mine. Barrick was also concerned that vulnerable members of the local communities could be persuaded to make legally meritless claims outside their country in the hope of obtaining compensation.

“RAID does not have a presence in Tanzania and has shown no inclination to visit the mine, despite the personal invitations I have extended to them, most recently in July this year. Last month a planned visit was cancelled 48 hours before RAID was expected on site. We remain willing to host such a visit so that RAID can raise their concerns with the mine’s management, the police, local administrators and community leaders. It is worth noting that in a recent meeting we had with the leaders of the eleven villages around North Mara, they said they had no knowledge of RAID or the work it purports to do in their communities, and rejected the organisation allegations as baseless,” Bristow said.

Many of the mine’s workers are drawn from neighbouring villages — in line with Barrick’s other operations, North Mara prioritises local employment — and the mine has a good relationship with its community, which it supports through continuing investment in healthcare, education and infrastructure development projects.