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Location: East of Bria, southern Central African Republic (CAR)
Project Areas: Nzako, Bangana North & South
Licence Type: Exploration
Development Status: Exploration
Operator: Pangea DiamondFields PLC
Licence Area: 2900 km²
Licence Expiry Date: 2010

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The Etoile Project concession areas are situated in central CAR to the east of the town of Bria.  The Etoile Project comprises of two separate licence blocks, the Nzako licence (922 km²) and the Bangana licence (1960 km²).

Access to the concession areas is possible by air from the capital, Bangui to an airstrip in the town of Bria. The concession areas are also accessible by road from Bangui, a distance of approximately 750 km. The road is tarred for the first 200km and thereafter it is an all weather gravel road.

Entitlement to the concession is held by Etoile Diamants SAU, a wholly owned subsidiary of Efidium.

In early 2007 a Mining Convention was signed with the government of the CAR in which the framework for future development of the project is defined. In terms of this agreement the CAR government becomes a 10% shareholder in the project and provides the necessary support for the development.

Exploration in the Nzako Licence commence during 2007.  A base has been established at Nzako, a town in the centre of the licence. Two geologists are based on the licence and have the use of vehicles, a TLB earth moving machine and diamond recovery jigs.  A camp will be established on the Bangana Licence during 2008.

The Nzako area has historically been an important alluvial diamond and gold producer. Recorded production up to 1963 from seven diggings was 194,111ct diamonds at an average stone size of 0.72 ct and an average grade of 38.4 ct/100m3.  Since then production has continued on small scale by artisanal workers.

The Bangana area includes more than 200km of the Kotto and Bangana Rivers and their tributaries. Diamonds have been recovered intermittently from the recent Kotto River sediments and Bangana floodplain sediments by artisanal workers for many years but no production records were kept.  Recorded diamond production up to 1963 for some of the Bangana tributaries are 32378ct at an average grade of 73ct/100 m3 and an average stone size of 0.7ct.

At Nzako, diamonds are associated with sediments of the north-south flowing Nzako River and its western tributaries. This river drains basement lithologies of the Fouroumbala Formation (only quartzites occasionally seen on the licence) covered by a thin veneer of red soils, lateritized river sediments and recent Nzako River sediments.

At Bangana the diamonds are associated with the gravels of the Kotto and Bangana Rivers and their tributaries. These rivers drain Mouka-Quadda Formation grits and sandstones.