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Kirk Woodman, VP of White Rock-based Progress Minerals, found dead in Burkina Faso

Kirk Woodman, vice-president of exploration for White Rock-based Progress Minerals Inc., was abducted by unidentified individuals in Burkina Faso January 15 and has since been found dead.
kirk-woodman-linkedin
Kirk Woodman via LinkedIn

Kirk Woodman, vice-president of exploration for White Rock-based Progress Minerals Inc., was abducted by unidentified individuals in Burkina Faso January 15 and has since been found dead.

According to an official statement from Burkina Faso minister of foreign affairs Alpha Barry, Woodman was kidnapped at the site of mining prospecting company Productive Discovery in the village of Tiabangou.

Woodman’s body was found January 16 at around 3 p.m. local time in Gorom-Gorom.

Canadian Minster of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland said Canada is “appalled” and condemns those responsible for this crime.

“We are working with the government of Burkina Faso and other international partners to pursue those responsible and bring them to justice,” the statement said.

“The government’s priority is the safety and security of Canadians.”

In an official Burkina Faso government statement issued in French, translated via Google Translate, Barry said, “The government of Burkina condemns with the utmost energy this cowardly assassination and reassures that an investigation is opened and all the measures will be taken to find and punish the guilty. The government shares the grief of family, loved ones and the Canadian government and offers them the deepest condolences.”

Progress is a gold exploration company with a focus on the West African Birimian Greenstone Belts. It has projects in Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire.

Woodman was based out of Halifax. Prior to joining Progress in 2017, Woodman worked for Vancouver-based Endeavour Mining (TSX:EDV) as both vice-president of geology and general manager of exploration for French West Africa.

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@EmmaHampelBIV