Rio, Saudi Arabia said to vie for stake in First Quantum mines

Rio Tinto Group and Saudi Arabia’s state-backed Manara Minerals Investment Co. are among suitors considering bids for a stake in First Quantum Minerals’ Zambian copper mines, according to people familiar with the matter. Japanese trading houses Mitsui & Co. and Sumitomo Corp. have also been studying the assets, the people said, asking not to be identified as the talks are private. First Quantum is looking to sell a minority stake in its Sentinel and Kansanshi mines in Zambia and is seeking first-round bids in the coming weeks, they said.