Mining company to continue work despite employee's murder

The Canadian mineral exploration company, Nevsun Resources Ltd, has said its activities in Eritrea will continue, despite the murder of one of its consultants last week.

In a statement, Nevsun - which is drilling for gold and diamonds - said the murder of Timothy Nutt, a Briton who was working as an independent consultant for the company, was a tragedy.

It described the reaction of the Eritrean military and police to the incident as "swift" and said the government had been "forthright and extremely cooperative".

It noted that the Eritrean government had issued a statement blaming the murder on "terrorists".

"While suspects have been detained in custody, the police have not concluded their process," Nevsun added. "It is important to note that Eritrea is a country with a very low crime rate and this act of violence is considered by the Eritrean authorities as an anomalous isolated event."

The Eritrean government last week accused the Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement (EIJM), which it said operates out of Sudan, of responsibility for the murder. Nutt was found in a ravine with his throat slit near the western town of Bisha where Nevsun is prospecting for minerals. Sudan has denied sponsoring Eritrean rebel groups.

In a radio interview over the weekend, Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki described the murder as a "dangerous scenario".

"The culprits came from Sudan," he said. "The action was taken to scare off the companies which discovered gold in the area [Bisha]... The action was taken to block investment. We consider this a big mistake by the Sudanese government."