Guinea’s mines minister suspended the development Simandou iron ore mine project because Simfer SA, Rio Tinto’s Guinea subsidiary, and the Chinese-backed consortium Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS) were unwilling to be a partnership.

In March, Guinea’s ruling junta stopped the construction of the mine and related infrastructure. It made Rio and WCS sign an agreement to develop related infrastructure, including a 670-km railway and ports.

As of June, the government gave two companies another 14 days after the deadline to launch a joint venture; however, the projects were still stagnant.