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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Eromo Egbejule in Conakry

A ‘bridge to prosperity’? Guinea’s junta touts opening of mining megaproject

Workers sitting on a rail support column
Construction takes place on a rail support column for the proposed rail corridor that will link a new mining complex at Simandou to the Guinean coast. Photograph: Reuters

Deep in the south of Guinea lies Simandou, an impressive mountain range with a lucrative underbelly: the world’s largest untapped iron ore deposits, amounting to an estimated 2.8bn tonnes.

In 2013, it was at the centre of one of the biggest mining financial scandals in history, stemming from an ownership tussle over development licenses awarded in the 1990s during the regime of the west African country’s former authoritarian president Lansana Conté .

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