Reuters reported that mining operations and daily life mostly returned to normal in Guinea after a 2 day strike called by unions in reaction to a bloody crackdown on anti government protesters on September 28th 2009 brought the No 1 bauxite exporter to a halt.

Officials from the Guinea Bauxite Company JV between Anglo Australian Rio Tinto and US Alcoa that ships bauxite and Russia's UC RUSAL which runs an aluminum refinery and some mining operations said that business had resumed.

According to human rights groups, last month's violence which left 157 civilians dead was the worst since Guinea's military rulers came to power last December and led to intense international calls for the junta to relinquish power.

CBG official said that "The strike was largely followed for 2 days but people are mostly back at work this morning. The production train and the flow of bauxite has resumed as normal."

Operations at UC RUSAL's Friguia refinery which produces 650,000 tonnes of aluminum per year also resumed after the strike and despite a simmering dispute between RUSAL and the junta over ownership of the plant.

A RUSAL official said that "Everything is working as usual the trains are back running their normal routes." He added that the company's bauxite mining operations were also running normally.

(Sourced from Reuters)