The government of Guinea has initiated a process to withdraw Emirates Global Aluminium’s mining licence in the West African nation, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.
Emirates Global Aluminium operates one of the largest bauxite mines in Guinea through its Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC) subsidiary.
The company has been in a dispute with the government of Guinea since October last year when its bauxite exports and mining operations were suspended by the authorities, which cited concerns over customs duties.
“We have initiated the withdrawal of GAC’s mining licence. A notification has been sent to this effect,” one of the sources, a senior government official who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak, told Reuters.
(Reporting by Saliou Samb Writing by Bate Felix Editing by Louise Heavens and Tomasz Janowski)