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(Sharecast News) - Aura Energy announced the appointment of Mohamed El Moctar Mohamed El Hacene as its new country manager for Mauritania on Monday, overseeing its operations within the country, including the Tiris Uranium Project.
The AIM-traded firm said Hacene, a Mauritanian national with a strong background in mining and international relations, would bring extensive expertise to the role.
His previous experience included serving as Mauritania's Minister of Petroleum and Mines from 2007 to 2008, a period during which uranium was initially discovered at Tiris by Aura.
In the new role, Hacene also assumed the position of director general of Tiris Ressources, Aura's Mauritania-based subsidiary that holds an 85% interest in the Tiris project.
He started his tenure on 1 November, following a decade with the United Nations as Director of the Economic Development and Integration Division within the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.
His previous roles included general manager of external relations for Rio Tinto's Simandou iron ore project in Guinea, and consulting for various mining firms and financial institutions across Mauritania.
Hacene's academic credentials included a Bachelor's degree from École Normale Supérieure in Mauritania, a Master's degree in mineral economics from Curtin University's WA School of Mines, and doctoral studies in Political Science at Université de Grenoble.
His appointment was expected to strengthen Aura's local engagement and operational oversight as the company advanced the Tiris Uranium Project.
"We are very pleased to welcome Moctar to the Aura Energy team - Moctar's experience is outstanding and his passion for the Tiris Uranium Project and developing the mining industry in Mauritania is formidable," said managing director and chief executive officer Andrew Grove.
"Both Aura and Mauritania will benefit significantly from his return to Mauritania after a stellar international career.
"Moctar is a key appointment in driving the development of the Tiris Uranium Project into Mauritania's first uranium mine."
Grove said the appointment of Moctar as country manager was "another important milestone" as Aura continued to progress the Tiris development to realise the significant inherent value in the project.
"[This was] demonstrated in the recent production target update study and the significant upside and exploration potential of the area, part of which was demonstrated by the recent 55% increase in mineral resources to 91.3 million pounds of triuranium octoxide."
At 1139 GMT, shares in Aura Energy were down 3.12% at 7.75p.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
