kulu to re-open soon - tomorrow? according to repo...

kulu to re-open soon - tomorrow? according to repo http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060427.RCONGO27/TPStory/Business


Fiery protest prompts mine closing
TSX-listed Anvil's mine in Congo affected
WENDY STUECK

MINING REPORTER

VANCOUVER -- Anvil Mining Ltd. has closed its Kulu mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo after protesters torched a company guesthouse in the nearby town of Kolwezi, leaving at least two people dead.

Anvil, which is based in Perth and listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, said yesterday it closed the mine as a precautionary measure. The deaths occurred Monday.

Anvil spokesman Robert La Vallière said yesterday a group of illegal artisanal, or peasant, miners were marching in Kolwezi, about six kilometres west of the Kulu mine, when the guesthouse was set on fire. It's not clear whether the group was targeting Anvil or its operations, Mr. La Vallière said, adding that demonstrations have been taking place in several cities in the runup to elections expected this year.

"We don't know what the group is protesting about," Mr. La Vallière said in an interview from Montreal. "It could be related to the election, it could be related to a candidate they don't like, we don't know. We are investigating."

Anvil said it has notified MONUC, the United Nations mission in Congo, and the Congolese government. Mr. La Vallière said Anvil expects to reopen Kulu tomorrow.

Anvil became embroiled in a controversy last year over an incident that took place in 2004, when some of its vehicles and planes were commandeered by the Congolese military to suppress an uprising in the town of Kilwa, near its Dikilushi mine in the Congo. A United Nations report found more than 70 people died as a result of the military operation. Media reports last year accused Anvil of being complicit in the massacre, a charge the company denied.

A civil war drove many foreign investors leave from the Congo in the 1990s but a 2003 peace accord and a new World Bank-backed mining code have helped sparked new interest in the country. Last month, Anvil raised $149.5-million to pursue its projects in the country.