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Canadian miner Nevsun Resources Ltd. is facing explosive allegations that it unwittingly allowed forced labour to be involved in building its flagship copper-gold mine.

The allegations will be released next week in a report from Human Rights Watch, a non-governmental organization. But on Friday, Nevsun chief executive Cliff Davis tried to dismiss concerns the company is not doing enough to keep its Eritrea-based Bisha mine free of conscripted workers.

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I’m very comfortable there are not any conscripted workers on site

“I’m very comfortable there are not any conscripted workers on site,” he said in an interview.

However, he could not say for certain that there was no forced labour at the project in 2009, when the concerns first surfaced. He acknowledged that the company should have taken more steps to make sure there wasn’t any, and expressed regret if there were conscripts.

“With hindsight, it’s fair to say that perhaps we didn’t do enough at the very beginning,” he said.