(Business in Cameroon) – The International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris is expected to rule on the dispute between the state of Cameroon and Australian junior miner Sundance Resources by December 31, 2025. The case concerns the Mbalam-Nabeba iron ore deposit, which straddles the border between Cameroon and Congo, according to a September 3, 2025, statement from Sundance Resources.
“The hearings before separate tribunals constituted by the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (“ICC”) and the post-hearing submissions between Sundance, Cameroon and Congo have been completed,” the Australian junior miner announced. “Upon completion of the briefings, the ICC tribunals did not commit to a time when its decisions on the two separate cases brought by Sundance – against Cameroon and against Congo – are expected. Sundance has since been advised by the ICC that the decisions (in the form of arbitral awards) are not expected before 28 November 2025 for the Congo case and 31 December 2025 for the Cameroon case.”
After several unsuccessful attempts to attract investors to the project, Sundance accused both Cameroon and Congo of revoking its right to develop the Mbalam-Nabeba mining project and awarding it to Chinese partners. In its statement of claim filed with the ICC in 2022—the case has been before the arbitration court since 2021—Sundance demanded $5.5 billion in damages from Cameroon.
This amount is 36 times the estimated $94 billion CFA Francs the company spent during the exploration phase, according to the late Cameroonian Minister of Mines, Gabriel Dodo Ndocké. Ndocké had argued that paying the “debt” would end the arbitration process. However, the presidency rejected the arrangement, opting instead for arbitration.
The Mbalam-Nabeba project involves the two-phase development of iron ore deposits in Cameroon and Congo. Sundance Resources’ plan for the first phase was to produce 40 million tonnes of direct shipping ore annually over 12 years. The second phase was intended to extend the operation’s lifespan by more than 15 years through the production of high-grade hematite itabirite concentrate.
BRM
