Interim Results for the period ended 30 June 2019

Oriole Resources PLC

("Oriole", the "Company" or the "Group")

Interim Results

for the six-month period ended 30 June 2019

Oriole Resources PLC, the AIM-quoted exploration company focussed on West Africa, announces its unaudited Interim Results for the six-month period ended 30 June 2019 (the "Period").

Operational Highlights: 

·    Senegal - in Q1-19, Canadian mid-tier IAMGOLD Corporation ("IAMGOLD") confirmed that it had completed its Year 1 earn-in at the Company's Dalafin gold project in Senegal by spending US$1 million on exploration at the southernmost Madina Bafé prospect (Announcement dated 28 February 2019). It subsequently embarked on a Year 2 programme for a planned c.9,000 metres ("m") drilling at the Madina Bafé prospect and will extend the programme northwards to test the Saroudia target with a further c.4,000m drilling programme later this year (Announcement dated 31 May 2018). Both prospects are within a 20km truckable distance from its 2.5 million-ounce (Measured and Indicated) Boto gold project where a decision on mine permitting is expected later this year. IAMGOLD has the option to spend a total of US$8 million at Dalafin by March 2024 to earn a 70% interest in the project; 

·    Cameroon - During the Period, the Company completed its Year 1 earn-in to the Bibemi and Wapouzé gold licences in Cameroon (Announcement dated 21 May 2019) and as at 30 June 2019 had spent US$1.04 million. A 9,145m Phase 1 trenching programme at the more advanced project, Bibemi, delivered a best intersection of 9m at 3.14 grammes per tonne ("g/t") gold ("Au"). Under the terms of the agreement with Bureau d'Etudes et d'Investigations Géologico-minières, Géotechniques et Géophysiques SARL ("BEIG3"), Oriole can earn up to a 90% interest in the projects by investing a total US$3.12m over four years;

Financial Highlights:

·    The Group's pre-tax loss for the 6 months to 30 June 2019 was £0.75 million (2018: loss of £3.30 million); 

·    Administrative expenses reduced to £0.58 million (2018: £1.04 million). Consultancy and success-based payment fees in Turkey contributed significantly to this reduction, with net cost of the Turkish operation falling to £0.04 million (2018: £0.17 million);  

·    UK Corporate costs were also reduced to £0.47 million (2018: £0.72 million), due to reduced directors' fees and reduced professional advisor fees;  

·    A Research and Development ("R&D") tax relief claim for 2016 in respect of geoscientific advances sought by the Company through its exploration programmes delivered a rebate from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs ("HMRC") of £40,000 (Announcement dated 21 February 2019). Further rebates for 2017 and 2018 are anticipated later this year;
 

·    The cash balance of the Group as at 30 June 2019 was £0.72 million.

Tim Livesey, CEO of Oriole, said: "The first half of 2019 has seen significant activity across the Group with our exploration programmes delivering excellent progress in both Senegal and Cameroon. IAMGOLD's commitment to the second year of its US$8 million earn-in reinforces its confidence in the Dalafin project to deliver additional feed for its Boto mine and we eagerly await IAMGOLD's mine permit approval, which is expected later this year. Meanwhile, we are expanding our position in Cameroon to build on our success to date in what is an underexplored but highly prospective country."

Interim Management Report

The first six months of 2019 has built on the Company's structural changes in 2018, with good results reported from Oriole's earn-in projects in Cameroon and further progress on the Company's joint-venture on the Dalafin project in Senegal.  We continue to look to expand our footprint in Cameroon, and elsewhere we are looking to realise value from Oriole's portfolio of investments and royalties.

At Dalafin, IAMGOLD has met its Year 1 commitment by spending US$1 million and completing over 5,000m drilling (a mixture of air core ("AC"), reverse circulation ("RC") and diamond drilling ("DD")) at the southernmost Madina Bafé prospect. The work has defined a number of gold anomalies along multi-kilometre strike lengths and has delivered a best intersection of 8m at 2.56 g/t Au (Announcement dated 28 February 2019). IAMGOLD is now well into its Year 2 programme for a planned 13,000m of drilling, and has already completed 4,167m of AC drilling for 869 holes (Announcement dated 5 August 2019). The programme will resume in October 2019 with a further 4,000m of RC drilling planned for Madina Bafé, to test newly defined anomalies at depth, as well as over 3,000m (AC and RC) at the Saroudia prospect immediately to the northeast. The Company has been pleased with its partner's progressive and systematic approach to exploration within what is an extensive licence area with multiple mineralised prospects. Whilst understandably focusing on the southernmost prospects, that could provide truckable feed to IAMGOLD's adjacent 2.5 million-ounce Boto gold project, IAMGOLD are already showing an interest in progressing exploration northwards. In particular the Faré prospect, c.40 km to the northwest, has the potential to deliver a standalone resource, with previous drilling by Oriole including best results of 96m at 1.51 g/t Au and 7m at 86.39 g/t Au. Now in the second year of a six-year earn-in worth US$8 million, IAMGOLD has continued to show its commitment to the Dalafin project and also the wider Kédougou-Kéniéba region where it has recently consolidated its position through further licence acquisitions. The Company looks forward to IAMGOLD receiving a decision on its mining permit application later this year, which it hopes will further cement the partnership with Oriole. 

In Cameroon, the Group is earning-in to two early-stage gold projects in what it believes to be an exciting new gold exploration district. The first full year of exploration work has seen substantial progress made in defining multiple gold anomalies at both the Bibemi and Wapouzé licences. These licences are held by BEIG3, a well-connected and well-respected local geological services company. BEIG3, in association with the French and Finnish geological surveys (BRGM and GTK, respectively), is also working on the World Bank-funded PRECASEM programme launched in 2012 to gather countrywide geological data. PRECASEM is expected to lead to an increase in foreign investment in the country once the Phase 1 data is released next month, and the Company looks forward to seeing more exploration companies following Oriole's lead. 

At Bibemi, we reported results for Phase 1 trenching earlier in the year with a best result of 9m at 3.14 g/t Au (Announcements dated 6 March and 21 May 2019). Phase 2 infill sampling has been completed for 11 trenches totalling 3,504m and samples will be submitted for analysis during Q3-2019. At Wapouzé, Phase 1 soil sampling on the eastern limb of the licence identified two main gold-anomalous zones, Bataol and Bidzar, associated with a northeast-trending shear zone (Announcement dated 18 March 2019). Phase 2 infill soil sampling at the more prospective Bataol Zone has confirmed multiple parallel gold anomalies, also shear-related, including a >60 parts per billion ("ppb") Au anomaly over a 1km by 300m area within a broader, lower-grade (>10 ppb Au) anomaly. 

During the Period, the Company met, and exceeded its first-year commitment of US$0.56 million (Announcement dated 21 May 2019) and anticipates that it will achieve 51% ownership in early 2020 following completion of its second-year commitment. Subject to ongoing results, the Company expects to spend a total of US$3.12 million by June 2022 to earn-in to a 90% interest in the projects. The Company will also make a number of further licence applications during Q3-2019 to expand its position in the country, both through its existing partnership with BEIG3 and through a newly incorporated subsidiary. Oriole looks forward to updating shareholders with its plans for this portfolio in due course.

The Group has posted a pre-tax loss for the period of £0.75 million (2018 - loss of £3.30 million). A number of factors contributed to this improvement, which in 2018 included a £2.03 million write-off relating to the Group's investment in an associated company. Excluding that write-off and the impact of reduced foreign exchange losses, the Operating Loss reduced from £1.04 million to £0.59 million. A significant portion of this reduction was the receipt of consultancy fees and success-based payments in Turkey, which has delivered an income of US$0.20 million during the six-month period. The balance of income to costs in Turkey is continuing to improve and we expect the Turkish operation to be cash generative through the second half of 2019.

Administrative and operational costs have been significantly reduced to £0.58 million compared to £1.04 million in the prior year, with the reduction due a combination of the aforementioned successful sub-contracting of the Turkish team to the partners who are advancing the Company's historic projects in the region but also a reduction in the Board's remuneration relative to the previous management and a reduction in professional fees.  

Full provision has been made against the carrying amount (£0.23m) of the Group's 7.84% holding in the private Australian company Aforo Resources. A lack of funding for its portfolio in Burkina Faso - particularly given the recent deterioration in the operational safety in the country - has resulted in minimal progress and an expectation that it will shortly withdraw from its joint venture commitments.

During the Period, Oriole's investment in Thani Stratex Resources ("TSR") was diluted from 29.0% to 27.3% as a result of the Company's decision not to provide further funding until a clear strategy for progress had been developed. No work has been undertaken at TSR's projects in Djibouti and Egypt since early 2018. However, following a change in management we understand that TSR is now working on a financial recovery plan and has received indications of significant investment interest in progressing the prospective targets in Djibouti. This is an encouraging development as early results from the Pandora project (within the Oklila licence) were particularly interesting, with gold assays of up to 71.60 g/t Au at surface and significant diamond drilling intersections including 8.30m at 7.21 g/t Au and 35.07m at 1.28 g/t Au (Announcement dated 19 April 2018). Oriole awaits conclusion and implementation of the recovery plan and will provide further details as soon as possible.

Having joined the Company 12 months ago, I am pleased with the progress we have made operationally and I am excited about the continued expansion into Cameroon. The Dalafin project in Senegal is being progressed by IAMGOLD and is of significant value to the Company. With asset realisation a priority elsewhere in the portfolio I believe we have the right team and opportunities in place to drive added value for our investors.

John McGloin

Non-Executive Chairman

On behalf of the Board

28 August 2019