Stratex International Plc's 30.4%-owned Thani Stratex Ltd. informed the company that Ethiopian authorities did not renew the exploration licenses for the Blackrock and Cussra gold projects in the country.

The cancellation will result in Thani Stratex writing off approximately US$8.7 million in its books. Stratex's share of this write-off is about US$2.7 million, and the carrying value of the company's investment in Thani Stratex will reduce by the same amount, according to a May 10 release.

Thani Stratex had applied for a sabbatical at the licenses until 2019 so it could concentrate on its core projects in Djibouti and Egypt.