Ottawa/Toronto – Today hearings commence in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto on behalf of 32 plaintiffs[1] from Tanzania against Barrick Gold Corporation (Barrick).[2] 

The plaintiffs are Indigenous Kuria from villages surrounding Barrick’s North Mara Gold Mine ltd. in Tarime District. In their Statement of Claim, filed on November 23, 2022, they claim that “Barrick’s security strategy for the North Mara mine effectively converts the Tanzanian police assigned to operate in and around the mine (the “Mine Police”) into a private and heavily armed security force for the mine.” The plaintiffs allege that this security strategy “has led directly to extensive human rights abuses” and “acts of extreme violence committed by the Mine Police” resulting in deaths, shootings, beatings and torture of local villagers.    

This case is the third filed against Barrick or its subsidiaries on behalf of Kuria villagers claiming excessive use of force by mine security at the North Mara Gold Mine since 2013. The two previous cases, filed in the UK, were settled out of court with the most recent settlement agreement dated for March of 2024. 

“MiningWatch has met repeatedly with Kuria villagers and reported regularly on their accounts of alleged violence endured at the hands of mine security and mine police for over a decade,” says Catherine Coumans of MiningWatch Canada. “It is simply incomprehensible that a major Canadian company like Barrick seems to prefer settling lawsuits on behalf of victims of alleged excess use of force, rather than to take effective steps to stop the violence.” 

“Canada needs to step up and pass mandatory due diligence legislation that will prevent harm before it occurs, protect the rights of people globally, and hold Canadian corporations accountable for their actions overseas,” says Shane Moffatt, Director of the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability.  

“This lawsuit is a critical step toward properly adjudicating the claims of the Kuria people, whose lives have been deeply affected by Barrick Gold’s operations at the North Mara Mine,” says Professor Sara Ghebremusse of the Justice and Corporate Accountability Project. “Our organization stands with the plaintiffs as they seek to overcome the procedural obstacles that they face to securing a fair and independent hearing in Canada and the opportunity to access legal remedies for the devastating harm they report having suffered. We hope this case will significantly advance the law governing access to judicial remedy for communities affected by Canadian mining operations abroad.” 

[1]  The case filed in 2022 (CV22006906490000) on behalf of 21 plaintiffs was supplemented on February 5, 2024 by case (CV24007141480000) on behalf of an additional 11 plaintiffs. 
[2] Since 2019, Barrick has 84% ownership in the North Mara Gold Mine Limited, through a subsidiary, called Twiga Minerals Corporation Limited in which the Tanzanian Government has a 16% share. Since Barrick acquired the mine from Placer Dome in 2006, Barrick has always held a majority of shares in the mine through various subsidiaries.

For more information contact:

• Catherine Coumans, Research Coordinator, MiningWatch Canada, [email protected]
• Val Croft, Communications Coordinator, MiningWatch Canada, +1-416-707-5986, [email protected]
• Professor Sara Ghebremusse, Justice and Corporate Accountability Project [Osgoode Hall Law School], [email protected] 

For additional information see:

• Statement of Claim - MATIKO JOHN, IN HER PERSONAL CAPACITY AND AS LITIGATION GUARDIAN FOR HER MINOR CHILD, KELVIN et al v. BARRICK GOLD CORPORATION
• Brief on Reported Violence against Indigenous Kuria by Mine Police at Barrick Gold’s North Mara Gold Mine during 2023-2024. Catherine Coumans, MiningWatch Canada, October 2024.
• Media Backgrounder: The CNCA’s campaign for a mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence law