Excellent Recoveries Confirm Heap Leach Potential of West African Resources' Boulsa Gold Project

Perth, Australia (ABN Newswire) - West African Resources Ltd. (ASX:WAF) (CVE:WAF) (Perth, Australia) is pleased to report preliminary metallurgical test work results from the Mankarga 5 Deposit located on the Tanlouka Permit, part of its Boulsa Project, in Burkina Faso.

Managing Director Richard Hyde commented on the metallurgical test work: "The results are in line with our expectations and support our goal to develop a low-cost heap leach starter project from oxide mineralisation at the Mankarga 5 deposit. Samples exhibited rapid leach kinetics and very low cyanide consumption and represent potential recoveries from conventional heap leach processing. Test work is continuing and we will report the results of scoping studies by the end of the June quarter."

Test work is being carried out at ALS Global in Perth on four metallurgical holes which were drilled at various locations in the Mankarga 5 deposit. In total, 1.6 tonnes of whole core was shipped to ALS Global for comprehensive metallurgical test work including:

- Coarse feed intermittent bottle rolls (IBR) at 6.25 mm and 12.5 mm crush sizes, to determine suitability of oxide ore to heap leach processing.

- Direct cyanidation bottle rolls at P80 100microm of all ore types.

- Size by size gold analysis on IBR residue.

- Percolation rate test work.

- Agglomeration test work.

- Column cyanidation leach test work.


The results from the coarse feed IBR are very positive and represent potential recoveries from conventional heap leach processing. The test work program is continuing with sizing analysis of the IBR residue, followed by percolation and agglomeration test work ahead of column tests. Results from the preliminary coarse IBR are presented below in Table 1 and Figure 1 (Please see link below). The leach curves presented below show that many of the samples had not completed leaching after 120 hours and this suggests higher leach extractions would have been achieved if the test duration was extended. Remaining leaching and test work results will be reported when available.

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                            Table 1
              Coarse Feed Intermittent Bottle Roll Test Work
                     6.25mm and 12.5mm Crush Sizes
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Test No    Crush Size   Overall % Gold  Head Au  Leach      Consumption
            P100 (mm)    Extraction     (ppm)   Residue       (kg/t)   
                                                Au (g/t)    NaCN   Lime
ox_1_6.25mm   6.25         91.48         1.17     0.10      0.30   2.44
ox_2_6.25mm   6.25         91.34         0.92     0.08      0.33   3.83
ox_3_6.25mm   6.25         87.94         2.78     0.34      0.37   3.57
ox_4_6.25mm   6.25         61.89         0.80     0.31      0.37   1.89
ox_1_12.5mm   12.50        88.68         1.06     0.12      0.33   2.53
ox_2_12.5mm   12.50        74.53         1.02     0.26      0.40   3.68
ox_3_12.5mm   12.50        81.38         2.42     0.45      0.33   3.84 
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Near-term Strategy

The Company aims to be a +50,000oz per annum gold producer within two years via a low-cost heap leach starter project at the Mankarga 5 deposit, subject to study outcomes. West African has secured a secondhand 1.6Mtpa heap leach plant as part of its plan to fast-track development of Mankarga 5. Detailed metallurgical test work is underway on Mankarga 5 drill core in Perth. Results of this test work, along with the updated resource estimate, will be incorporated into the scoping study which will be released by the end of this quarter. The proposed project development schedule for Mankarga 5 is shown in link below.

To view figures, tables and appendix, please visit:
http://media.abnnewswire.net/media/en/docs/ASX-WAF-677342.pdf


About West African Resources Limited:

Dual listed (TSX-V and ASX) West African Resources Ltd. is a gold-copper exploration company dedicated to creating shareholder value through the acquisition, exploration and development of resource projects in Burkina Faso, West Africa.

West African has a landholding of 6,370sq km and 200km of strike length of early Proterozoic Birimian greenstone belts, which are highly prospective for gold mineralisation.



Contact:

West African Resources Ltd.
Richard Hyde, Managing Director
Ph: +61-8-9481-7344

Nathan Ryan, Investor Relations
Tel: +61-420-582-887