African Queen Mines Ltd.
Suite 1450, Box 11553
650 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6B 4N8

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 6, 2012                                                                                    

                                                                                                                         TSX.V: AQ

                                                                                                                   Frankfurt: QM0

AFRICAN QUEEN REPORTS RESULTS FROM 2011 RECONNAISSANCE DRILL PROGRAM AT KING SOLOMON FOCUSING ON NEW TARGETS AND STEP-OUTS FROM MANKOMBITI ZONE

Vancouver, British Columbia - AFRICAN QUEEN MINES LTD. (the "Company") reports that it has now received from Genalysis Laboratories of Johannesburg, S.A. analytical results from drill holes comprising its 2011 dry season reconnaissance core drilling program at The King Solomon Project, located within the central parts of the Mesoproterozoic Fingoe Belt in western Tete Province, Mozambique.  A total of 18 holes were drilled as part of the program, aggregating approximately 2346 meters.  The program was designed to test the Bulasho target and several other targets on trend, as well as including some step-out drilling from the Mankombiti Zone. Gold, copper and silver mineralization continued to be intersected in most of the holes, but the grades and widths intersected were not deemed to significantly advance the size of the potential resource at the Project.  However, the drilling confirmed the regional continuity of the expansive gold and copper anomalies previously traced on surface and there remains in excess of 3 km of strike length to be tested, as well as other regional targets to be explored.

The King Solomom Project represents a number of magnetite skarn alteration fronts which have developed along the contacts of late stage granites and gabbros which have intruded marbles of the Fingoe metasedimentary group of rocks located in Tete Province, north of Cahorra Basa Dam in Mozambique. The Company has focused considerable exploration including detailed mapping, ground geophysics and detailed grab sampling over the last two years, as well as the completion of over 5 000 m of Diamond core drilling from 2010 to 2011. The 2011 drill program was focused on extending the known mineralization towards the west, as well as testing the importance of structural shoots which may have developed during later deformation. The ultimate folding event was responsible for the development of an intense rodding/lineation fabric. This indicates that the mineralization contact zone would have undergone similar deformation and linear, plunging bodies of mineralization might be expected on a larger scale. Modelling of the geophysical data by Dr. Branco Corner earlier in the year had in fact indicated an element of north-eastwards directed plunge to some of the magnetic and IP anomalies and it was planned to drill test this possibility during this investigation.

Results of the drill program have confirmed the presence of mineralization for over 2 km along strike and down dip similar to that encountered in the previously drilled targets for which geochemical results were reported in 2010 and early 2011. Highlights of the earlier drilling programs included an intersection of 7.73 m of 1.51% Cu, 1.32 g/t Au and 27.6 g/t Ag in Hole MW03 (Press Release of October 4, 2010).  Additionally, a second style of mineralization, similar to that encountered last year at the Eiland Prospect, has been drilled. This target, known as the Bulasho target, comprises narrow shear zones associated with pervasive iron carbonate alteration within the marbles and other metasedimentary rocks. In many places a clear association with sulphides as well as anomalous base metal chemistry and gold mineralization has been seen in the grab sample results. Similar fresh sulphide as well as oxidised material has been encountered during the drilling of the Bulasho target.

Selected results from the 2011 drill program of significant intersections from the Bulasho, Mankombiti and Ntumba are set forth below:

TABLE 1.  SELECT INTERSECTIONS FROM 2011 DRILLING PROGRAM

The reported intervals do not necessarily reflect true widths

TABLE 2:  DRILL HOLE POSITIONAL INFORMATION FROM 2011 DRILLING PROGRAM

Coordinate System: WGS84 UTM Zone 36S

Drilling focused on the Ntumba, Bulasho and Mankombiti targets. The Ntumba target is located about 700 m west of Mankombiti West, where some of the most robust results were obtained last year. The Ntumba target is also associated with a very large and intense magnetic target. Sampling of the contact zone had revealed anomalous gold and copper during 2010. Three holes were drilled on two sections. Extensive albite -magnetite-silica -antigorite alteration was encountered, identical to that observed at Mankombiti West and Mankombiti East. In contrast to these targets, the sulphide tenor was generally low, with limited copper sulphides visible in hand specimens. Analysis of drill core indicates the Cu to range from 0.3 to 0.6 % in these zones while generally the silver has higher values than the other targets. This area had much higher iron values which was notable in the magnetite-rich core and the corresponding magnetic anomalies.

Several holes were drilled at Mankombiti West again and similar mineralization encountered as before, albeit of limited thickness. The drilling was focused on testing the more intense magnetic build-up down dip and towards the northeast as revealed by geophysical survey. Four holes were drilled (MW07, MW08, MW09 MW10). Here drilling encountered a similar package as last year with bornite, chalcopyrite and significant magnetite common.

Drilling was moved to Mankombiti East where a substantial conductor was apparent on the IP data which had not been previously drilled. Two boreholes were targeted to hit this conductor. Only the second hole (ME08) accomplished this, and included over 25 m of the typical calc-silicate alteration including breccias and significant iron-staining. Sulphides including bornite and chalcopyrite are visible. Anomalous gold values ranging between 0.2 g/t and 0.4 g/t characterise this entire interval, while within this interval two zones of copper enrichment occur and include 3.5 m at 1% Cu and a narrower zone 5 meters below with 1 m at 1.2% Cu. Mankombiti East shows that there is in fact a degree of thickening in plunge structures along the contact. This feature will form part of the exploration focus for further drill planning next year.

The Company is encouraged that the zone of mineralization has now been drilled for over 2 kilometres of strike, and a further 3 kilometres towards the west have not yet been tested. Drilling has also shown the importance of thickening in certain zones and detailed IP ground geophysics is planned to highlight these zones better in the coming field season so as to maximise further drilling. 

According to Irwin Olian, CEO of the Company, "The results of our 2011 drill program at King Solomon did not encounter the grades and widths of mineralization hoped for at the new targets, but were productive in confirming continuation of the gold, copper and silver mineralization which characterizes this regional trend.  We will embark on further ground exploration and mapping next dry season in order to identify new drill targets.  There's a lot of smoke at King Solomon; now we've got to find the fire."

The Project is the subject of the Earn-in and Joint Venture Agreement dated July 10, 2009 (the "Agreement"), with Optimetal, covering exploration, development and exploitation of Prospecting License No. 884L held by Optimetal's Mozambique subsidiary (the "License").  The License covers an area of approximately 230 km² in the center of the Fingoe Belt and is now valid through to May, 2015.

The work program at King Solomon, including logging and sampling, is being conducted by RES under the direction of C. Ocker on behalf of the joint venture partners. RES has been conducting field programs for the Company on the Fingoe Regional Gold Project from the initiation of the program in 2006.  The Project is being managed on behalf of the Company by Senior Consulting Geologist Mr. Pete Siegfried (M.Sc., MAusIMM), a qualified person, who has reviewed and approved the contents of this Press Release. Drilling activities have been carried out by Major Drilling.

About African-Queen

The Company is an exploratory resource company with diversified mineral properties in Southern, East and West Africa. It is exploring its properties in Mozambique, Ghana and Kenya for gold and other metals and it is undertaking exploration in Botswana and Namibia for diamonds, gold and other metals. In Mozambique the Company has approximately 230 sq. km. under license for gold and metals under an agreement with another company. In Ghana it has 28.9 sq. km. under license for gold. In Kenya it has approximately 850 sq. km. under license for gold and metals, and a further 737 sq. km. of gold and other minerals licenses under agreements with two other companies. The Company's operations in Mozambique are carried out through its subsidiary PAM Mocambique Limitada and its operations in Ghana are carried out through its subsidiary AQ Ghana Gold Limited. Its operations in Kenya are being carried out through its operating subsidiary AQ Kenya Gold Limited.   Its operations in Botswana are carried out through its operating subsidiary, PAM Botswana (Pty) Ltd.; its operations in Namibia are carried out through its operating subsidiary PAM Minerals Namibia (Pty) Ltd. 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.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
AFRICAN QUEEN MINES, LTD.

"Irwin Olian"                        
Irwin Olian
Chairman & CEO

For more information, contact:

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.