African Queen Mines Signs Agreement for Acquisition of the Kight Gilcrease Sand Unit Oil & Gas Project in Oklahoma

Vancouver, British Columbia — AFRICAN QUEEN MINES LTD. (the “Company”) is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary DESERT ENERGY CORP (“Desert Energy”) has now entered into a definitive agreement with SEMINOLE PRODUCTIONS LLC, an Oklahoma private company (“Seminole”), pursuant to which Desert Energy will acquire the Kight Gilcrease Sand Unit oil and gas project in Seminole County, OK (the “KGSU”). As previously announced (PR January 31, 2018), Desert Energy was formed by the Company to engage in exploration and development of oil & gas and mineral properties in the Southwestern United States and will be operating as a separate division of the Company. KGSU is the first of several major projects that Desert Energy has targeted for potential acquisition in the near future.

Under terms of the Purchase Agreement, Desert Energy is acquiring all leases covering the KGSU above the Base of the Gilcrease Sand Formation, subject to an aggregate gross overriding carried royalty on hydrocarbon production of 22% payable to various royalty holders (2% of which is payable directly to Seminole). Hence Desert Energy is acquiring a 0.78 Net Revenue Interest in the KGSU. In addition, Desert Energy is acquiring all wells and associated surface and downhole equipment on site, including pumping rigs, piping, storage tanks, supplies, etc., and all rights to any additional hydrocarbon bearing zones which may exist above the Base of the Gilcrease Sand Formation. The underlying leases are extendible year-to-year by maintaining minimal prescribed production levels.

The total consideration payable for the acquisition is U.S. $400,000. Of this amount, Desert Energy is paying Seminole cash in the sum of U.S. $180,000 by April 15, 2018 (subject to extension); and the Company is issuing to Seminole Units (the “Units”) at a deemed price of CAD $0.05 per Unit, where each Unit is comprised of one share of Common Stock of the Company (“Share”) and one Share Purchase Warrant (“Warrant”) where each Warrant permits the holder to purchase one Share for a period of 3 years from the date of issuance at a price of CAD $0.075 per Share. The number of Units to be issued to Seminole shall be equal in value to U.S.$220,000 converted into Canadian currency on the date all applicable regulatory approvals shall be received. At today’s exchange rate, Seminole would be entitled to receive approximately 5.5 Million Shares and 5.5 Million Warrants. The transaction is subject to completion of due diligence by Desert Energy and approval by the TSX Venture Exchange and the OCC.

The KGSU was permitted and approved by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission Oil & Gas Conservation Division (“OCC”) by Order #375263 dated July 19, 1993, as an enhanced recovery project primarily utilizing water-flood secondary recovery operations, in an administrative proceeding which consolidated and unitized all working and royalty interests in the project. It was subsequently acquired by its present owner/operator Seminole in 2003. The KGSU has had historic production estimated at 1,690,240 BO by the OCC and presently has 7 wells on site, one of which is operational. The oil produced is a light sweet crude that varies from 34 API to 43 API gravity.

The KGSU comprises an area of approximately 883.7 acres, which is substantially underlain by the Gilcrease Sandstone common source of oil supply. The KGSU leases are located 8 miles S of Wewoka directly astride State Highway 56, in a portion of the S/2 of Section 6, all of Section 7 and the NW/4 of Section 18, T6N R8E Seminole County, Oklahoma. It is not located within an environmentally sensitive area or on a known Native American reservation. The oil-bearing pay zone was estimated by the OCC to be from 10 ft to 40 ft in width and to occur at a subsurface depth of approximately 2726 ft to 2810 ft, as reflected in geophysical logs from the Adams #1 Maverick Well drilled in the SW/4 SE/4 SW/4 of Section 7-6N-8E, Seminole County.

The Gilcrease Sands are part of the Atoka Formation Series which ranges from about 160 ft to 250 ft in thickness. It is comprised of limes, sands and sandy limes and occurs at depths of approximately 2650 ft to 2950 ft. Recent geological studies and particularly drill logs from two recent wells on the KGSU , 3PB’s and Sears 18-H, suggest that the pay zone width may be significantly greater than estimated by the OCC. In addition, they suggest higher porosity and permeability than estimated. The overall Gilcrease Sand Formation, named after iconic Oklahoma oilman Tom Gilcrease, has produced in excess of 580 million BO since the early days of oil production in Oklahoma in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The KGSU forms a small portion of the historic area which is within a radius of about 30 mi from the KGSU. As the Gilcrease Sand Unit is relatively shallow at about 2800 ft subsurface, vertical wells are the most efficient manner of drilling for oil production. Most of the primary oil has been produced by conventional means, i.e. first flowing, then simple down hole tubing pumps with traditional pump jacks at surface.

The Gilcrease Formation was originally characterized as a “gas drive” formation, where the gas in the formation helped force or drive the oil out of the pore spaces within the sand layer up into the wellbore. However, original low-cost production methods in the 1920’s and 30’s unduly depleted this “drive” mechanism. The early depletion of this drive resulted in only a fraction of the original oil in place within the KGSU being produced and creates an opportunity for substantial new production by Desert Energy at relatively low cost using a modern secondary recovery techniques. Management believes the optimal recovery technique for the KGSU involves the injection of CO2 or Nitrogen into the uppermost portion of the sand layer, whilst injecting water into the lowest part of the sand. This “water-flood” technique works to squeeze and drive the oil to the producing well bores in much the same manner as the old gas drive mechanism of early days. Variants of this type of technique have been developed over a period of many decades and are now highly refined and efficient.

Water-flood secondary production calls for the drilling of some new wells for both water injection and oil production, along with the conversion of existing wells into an injection well format. The technique has been used very successfully to generate production in the offsetting Sasakwa Gilcrease Sand Unit (“Sasakwa”), located within one mile directly S of the KGSU. Sasakwa has historic reported production of 1,233,009 BO from primary production and 1,000,730 BO from water-flood enhanced recovery secondary production. By comparison, the KGSU has produced 1,690,240 BO from primary production to date but has not yet had water-flood enhanced recovery techniques applied. This suggests considerable potential for future oil recovery from the KGSU utilizing such techniques, though there can be no guarantee that future results from the KSGU will be similar to those achieved at Sasakwa.

Desert Energy’s development strategy contemplates initially reconditioning the existing wells on site and drilling several new shallow vertical wells to create new primary production and cash flow in the short-term. This would be followed by instituting a comprehensive water-flood program to optimize long-term production from the KGSU and fully exploit the reserves in place. It is to be noted that water-flood recovery is totally unrelated to “fracking” which involves hydraulic injection to fracture underlying rock and is typically associated with horizontal drilling. Water-flood is designed to create pressure by filling porous spaces without disturbing in situ rock.

According to Irwin Olian, CEO of the Company, “We are very excited to be acquiring the Kight Gilcrease Sand Unit and view it as great opportunity to add cash flow and value to the Company for the benefit of our shareholders. It is an established oil field with significant untapped potential in one of America’s most prolific historic oil producing regions. We believe the U.S. Energy Sector holds out great promise in coming years under a favorable Government Administration and are working diligently to bring significant opportunities to African Queen to participate in future grown in this sector, together with exploiting opportunities in precious metals.”

About African-Queen
The Company is an exploratory resource company engaged in exploration and development of mineral properties in Canada. In addition, its wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary Desert Energy Corp. is engaged in exploration and development of oil and gas and mineral properties in the Southwestern United States. The Company has recently been focusing on development of its Yellowjacket Gold Project in Atlin, British Columbia, which covers an aggregate of approximately 291.54 km2. The Company has its executive offices in Vancouver, Canada. The Company was incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia, Canada, on April 30, 2008, and received certain southern African assets in a spin off transaction related to the acquisition of Pan African Mining Corp. by Asia Thai Mining Co., Ltd.

We seek Safe Harbor.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of African Queen Mines Ltd.

“Irwin Olian”
Irwin Olian
Chairman & CEO

For more information, contact:

Irwin Olian
President and CEO
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel:  +1-604-899-0100
Fax: +1-604-899-0200

Carrie Howes
Corporate Communications
Email: [email protected]
Telephone:
Dubai: +971 55 997 0427
London: +44 (0) 7780 602 788
Germany: +49 (0) 21141 740411
U.K.: +44 (0) 870 490 5443

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of the information contained herein. The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company’s expectations.

African Queen Mines Embarks on Diversification Program with Establishment of New U.S. Operations

Vancouver, British Columbia — AFRICAN QUEEN MINES LTD. (the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has now established a new wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary named DESERT ENERGY CORP. (“Desert Energy”) to engage in exploration and development of oil and gas and mineral properties in the Southwestern United States. Desert Energy, a Nevada corporation, will be operating as a separate division of the Company under the control of the Company’s senior Vancouver management.

Desert Energy has been engaged in discussions and negotiations in respect of acquisition of certain U.S. resource properties which the Company deems to be highly prospective for hydrocarbons and various minerals. The Company expects to provide a further update shortly. The Company views expansion into the U.S. as an opportunity to add value for the Company’s shareholders. At the same time, the Company will continue forward with efforts to build and unlock value at its Yellowjacket Gold Project in Atlin, B.C.

According to Irwin Olian, CEO of the Company, “We are fortunate to have an outstanding technical team which has served us well over nearly 15 years going back to the days of our predecessor Pan African Mining Corp. In addition, we have a strong and supportive shareholder group which includes a number of sophisticated investors and industry professionals. The result is that we are exposed to a continuing stream of new project opportunities and have the personnel resources necessary to take on new projects. Having experienced considerable prior success with Pan African and its diversified portfolio of mineral properties, we have concluded that it is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to now add the occasional, rare project opportunity which management believes to have the potential to dramatically raise the upside bar for the Company. Accordingly, we are now moving forward to finalize acquisition of a handful of exciting new projects in the Southwestern U.S.”

About African-Queen
The Company is an exploratory resource company engaged in exploration and development of mineral properties in Canada and Africa. It is presently focusing on development of its Yellowjacket Gold Project in Atlin, British Columbia, which covers an aggregate of approximately 290.56 km2. The Company has its executive offices in Vancouver, Canada. The Company was incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia, Canada, on April 30, 2008, and received certain southern African assets in a spin off transaction related to the acquisition of Pan African Mining Corp. by Asia Thai Mining Co., Ltd.

We seek Safe Harbor.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of African Queen Mines Ltd.

“Irwin Olian”
Irwin Olian
Chairman & CEO

For more information, contact:

Irwin Olian
President and CEO
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel:  +1-604-899-0100
Fax: +1-604-899-0200

Carrie Howes
Corporate Communications
Email: [email protected]
Telephone:
Dubai: +971 55 997 0427
London: +44 (0) 7780 602 788
Germany: +49 (0) 21141 740411
U.K.: +44 (0) 870 490 5443

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of the information contained herein. The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company’s expectations.

African Queen Mines Reports Results from Its Drilling Program at Gold Run Prospect in Atlin, B.C.

Vancouver, British Columbia — AFRICAN QUEEN MINES LTD. (the “Company”) has now received final assay results from its 2017 diamond drilling program at the Gold Run prospect located near Atlin, BC. The Gold Run prospect lies along the Pine Creek valley, commencing approximately 650 metres to the east of the Company’s permitted Yellowjacket Mine (see News Release dated October 6, 2016). The abbreviated drill program was conducted at the end of the 2017 exploration season. Four short holes, ranging in depth from 38.7 to 102.1 metres, were drilled to test the eastern strike extent of the fault structure which hosts the gold mineralization at the Yellowjacket Mine. This particular area has been the site of commercial placer mining operations over many decades.

Drilling was completed by an Atlin-based drilling professional utilizing a 2016-built Zinex Mining deep hole drill rig mounted in a custom drill shack with rod handling capabilities. NQ sized drill core was used for the first three holes, however due to drilling difficulties related to the rock encountered HQ core was used on the final hole. Drill core samples were processed by Bureau Veritas Minerals in Whitehorse for sample preparation and then forwarded to their Vancouver laboratory for analyses.

All four holes intersected the Pine Creek fault structure with strong clay gouge and brecciation present. Two of the holes, YJ17-02 and 03 with depths of 69.8 and 38.7 metres, respectively, had to be abandoned prior to reaching their target depths due to drilling problems. Gold values were trace in the first three holes.

Drill hole YJ17-04, drilled to a depth of 67.4 metres, was a 650 metre step-out to the east from the Yellowjacket Mine. This hole showed strong silica alteration and quartz stockworking. Although gold values in this hole were low, they were elevated up to 0.22 g/t in the favourable alteration zones containing listwanite, bleached and stockworked andesite and silicified iron-carbonate altered ultramafic. These alteration signatures indicate fluids of the same mineralizing event as hosts the gold mineralization at the Yellowjacket Mine. The Yellowjacket Mine mineralization shows heterogeneity to the gold grain distribution due to a strong nugget effect.

African Queen’s President Mr. Irwin Olian states: “Although we are disappointed with the analytical results from this small drilling program, which failed to yield significant gold numbers, we are happy to see that the mineralizing fault structure that hosts the gold at the Yellowjacket Mine continues to the east along strike. The nature of the mineralization suggests the possibility that additional drilling of deeper holes could potentially intercept economic gold values.”

The Gold Run prospect represents one of twelve key zones, in addition to potential expansion of the Yellowjacket Mine, identified for drill testing. Further targets will be developed and additional drilling will be undertaken on a result contingent basis. The Company now controls 51 mineral claims, 3 placer claims and one placer lease covering an aggregate of 291.54 km2 of strategic ground in the historically significant placer mining areas associated with many of the major creeks in the Atlin District. The permitted Yellowjacket Gold Mine is included within these tenures. The preponderance of its tenures is comprised of mineral claims covering structural trends within lithologies favourable for hosting hard rock gold deposits.

Linda Dandy, P.Geo., a Qualified Person within the meaning of N.I. 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical portions of this News Release. Ms. Dandy is providing on site guidance at the Project. Overall project leadership at Yellowjacket is being provided by Dr. Reinhard Ramdohr, who was on site in 2016 and 2017.

About African-Queen
The Company is an exploratory resource company engaged in exploration and development of mineral properties in Canada and Africa. It is presently focusing on development of its Yellowjacket Gold Project in Atlin, British Columbia, which covers an aggregate of approximately 291.54 km2. The Company has its executive offices in Vancouver, Canada. The Company was incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia, Canada, on April 30, 2008, and received certain southern African assets in a spin off transaction related to the acquisition of Pan African Mining Corp. by Asia Thai Mining Co., Ltd.

We seek Safe Harbor.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of African Queen Mines Ltd.

“Irwin Olian”
Irwin Olian
Chairman & CEO

For more information, contact:

Irwin Olian
President and CEO
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel:  +1-604-899-0100
Fax: +1-604-899-0200

Carrie Howes
Corporate Communications
Email: [email protected]
Telephone:
Dubai: +971 55 997 0427
London: +44 (0) 7780 602 788
Germany: +49 (0) 21141 740411
U.K.: +44 (0) 870 490 5443

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of the information contained herein. The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company’s expectations.