Sarama Resources Commences 11,000m Drill Program and Secures New Exploration Permit in Burkina Faso

TSX-V Ticker: SWA

SWA.WT

PERTH, Western Australia, Jan. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Sarama Resources Limited
(“Sarama” or the “Company“) is pleased to provide an update on the Company’s operations in
Burkina Faso, West Africa.

Highlights

        --  An 11,000m reverse circulation ("RC") drill program has
            commenced on the South Houndé Project in Burkina Faso to
            follow-up earlier significant drill results from the MM Anomaly
            and to test other significant gold-in-soil anomalies identified
            on the Tankoro Permit.

        --  Combined strike length of anomalies to be tested in the 20km
            long x 4km wide Tankoro Corridor totals over 15km.

        --  The construction of a 30-man drill and field camp for the South
            Houndé Project is now complete.

        --  Option agreement signed over a new Exploration Permit located
            in the Houndé Greenstone Belt of south-west Burkina Faso,
            bringing Sarama's total exploration landholding in Burkina Faso
            to over 2,450 km².

        --  Permit-scale soil geochemistry programs on other high-priority
            exploration permits are in progress.

        --  Additional drilling planned on other South Houndé permits where
            large sized gold-in-soil anomalies have been identified.

 Drilling Planned for the South Houndé Project, South-West Burkina Faso

An 11,000m RC drill program has commenced at the South Houndé Project
and is anticipated to be completed by mid-February 2012.

The program is designed primarily to follow-up on encouraging
intersections from a drill campaign conducted in June 2011 by Sarama on
the MM Anomaly, a 4km-long, gold-in-soil anomaly located centrally in
the Tankoro Structural Corridor.  Downhole intersections from this
previous program included:

13m @ 3.9g/t Au,  14m @ 2.6g/t Au,    11m @ 2.3g/t Au and   8m @ 3.0g/t
Au.

The program is targeting a 1km portion of the MM Anomaly with 5
additional fences containing 29 RC holes, and will result in an
eventual fence spacing of 75m to 150m.  Drillhole depths will range
between 100m and 150m.

Figure 1: Location of the Gold-in-Soil Anomalies Targeted by the Tankoro Drill Program

The program will also test other areas along the 20km-long trend of
gold-in-soil anomalies which are individually defined by coherent
>18ppb soil geochemistry results.  Sixteen drill fences containing 63
RC drillholes have been planned, with drillhole depths averaging
approximately 100m.

The drill program will aid in clarifying the continuity and geometry of
mineralisation within the MM Anomaly and give an indication of the
larger exploration potential of the Tankoro Structural Corridor.

In order to facilitate logistical support to the South Houndé Project
drill campaign, a 30-man drill and field camp has been constructed
within the Tankoro Permit where all of the present drill program will
be completed.

New Exploration Permit Acquired in the South Houndé Greenstone Belt

Sarama has entered into an option agreement over the Danymi Exploration
Permit which is located in the southern part of the Houndé Greenstone
Belt in south-west Burkina Faso.  The permit is valid for 3 years from
28 October 2011 and is renewable for two subsequent 3-year periods,
conditional upon regulatory obligations being met.

The agreement provides for Sarama to acquire a 100% interest in the
permit after making staged payments to the vendor over a 3-year
period.  Upon these payments being made, the vendor will be entitled to
a net smelter return (“NSR“) on any production sourced from the permit area.  The NSR can be
purchased at any time by Sarama, at Sarama’s election, for a specified
amount.

The Danymi Exploration Permit, covering 52.5km(2), is favourably located along the northern boundary of Sarama’s Tankoro
Permit and augments the Company’s South Houndé Project.  Being Sarama’s
flagship project, the area is currently the focus of a drilling program
to further test gold-in-soil anomalies associated with the mineralised
Tankoro Structural Corridor.

The Tankoro Structural Corridor is defined by schistose rocks and
gold-in-soil anomalism extending over 20km in length along a
north-northeast trend.  The Danymi Exploration Permit lies immediately
along strike to the north along the trend of the Tankoro Structural
Corridor.  The permit is underlain by a mixed sequence of sedimentary
and tuffaceous rocks with a band of mafic volcanic rocks and breccias
underlying the extreme western part of the permit.

Avion Gold Corporation’s Vindaloo Prospect (Indicated Mineral Resource
of 63,000 oz Au @ 2.33g/t Au and Inferred Mineral Resource of 547,000
oz Au @ 2.97g/t Au)(1) and Semafo Inc’s Mana Mine (Total Mineral Reserves and Resources of
3,285,700 oz Au @ 2.10g/t Au and Inferred Mineral Resources 2,678,000
oz Au @ 2.28g/t Au)(2) lie within the same greenstone belt stratigraphy as the Danymi
Exploration Permit and are located approximately 70km and 150km to the
north respectively.

A permit-scale soil geochemistry survey has just been completed over the
Danymi Permit, on a grid spacing of 200m x 100m, with the assay results
anticipated before the end of January 2012.  Any resulting gold-in-soil
anomalism will be evaluated for drill targeting.

Figure 2: Location of the New Danymi Exploration Permit and Sarama’s Existing Properties

    1   Information on mineral resources at the Vindaloo Prospect was
        sourced from Avion Gold Corporation's Management's Discussion and
        Analysis Report - September 2011 Quarter.

    2   Information on mineral resources at the Mana Mine was sourced from
        Semafo Inc's website, Statement of Mineral Reserves and Mineral
        Resources for 31 December 2010.  Semafo Inc's reporting category of
        "Total mineral Reserves and Resources" is taken to represent total
        Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources.

Soil Sampling Programs Progressing on Sarama’s Exploration Permits in
Burkina Faso

Sarama is moving quickly to evaluate all of the permits within its
portfolio in Burkina Faso.  To this end, permit-scale soil geochemistry
surveys have been completed over the Danymi (mentioned above) and Sola
(northern Burkina Faso) permits and an infill soil survey program, over
previously identified gold-in-soil anomalies, has been completed on the
Bamako Permit.  Results are expected February 2012.

Soil sampling teams are presently being relocated to several of the
other 15 permits, held directly by Sarama or under option agreements
with Sarama, in Burkina Faso.

For further information on the Company’s activities, please contact:

Andrew Dinning or Paul Schmiede

email:  info@saramaresources.com

telephone: +61 8 9363 7600

web:   www.saramaresources.com

About Sarama Resources Ltd

Sarama Resources Ltd is a Canadian company with a focus on the
exploration and development of gold deposits in West Africa.  The board
of directors and management team, a majority of whom are founders of
the Company, are seasoned resource industry professionals with
extensive experience in the exploration and development of world-class
gold projects in Africa.

The Company has built substantial early stage exploration landholdings
in prospective and underexplored areas of Burkina Faso (>2,450 km²),
Liberia (>2,400 km²) and Mali (>1,350 km²) and is aggressively
exploring across the property portfolio.

The South Houndé Project in south-west Burkina Faso is the Company’s
flagship property and is currently the focus of a drilling program to
further test gold-in-soil anomalies located in a 20km structural
corridor.  Previous confirmatory reverse circulation drilling conducted
by Sarama yielded downhole intersections of 13m @ 3.9g/t Au, 14m @
2.6g/t Au, 11m @ 2.3g/t Au and 8m @ 3.0g/t Au.  For full details, refer
to the Company’s “NI 43-101 Independent Technical Report on the South Houndé Project,
Bougouriba and Ioba Provinces, Burkina Faso” which is filed on www.sedar.com.

Following the recent completion of a successful initial public offering
on the TSX Venture Exchange (raising gross proceeds of approximately
C$16.7M), Sarama Resources is in a strong financial position to execute
its business plan (refer to News Release, 2 November 2011).

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Information in this news release that is not a statement of historical
fact constitutes forward-looking information.  Such forward-looking
information includes statements regarding the Company’s planned
exploration programs, including when results may be available and
ability to earn an interest in the various exploration properties.
Actual results, performance or achievements of the Company may vary
from the results suggested by such forward-looking statements due to
known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such factors
include, among others, that the business of exploration for gold and
other precious minerals involves a high degree of risk and is highly
speculative in nature; few properties that are explored are ultimately
developed into producing mines; geological factors; the actual results
of current and future exploration; changes in project parameters as
plans continue to be evaluated, as well as those factors disclosed in
the Company’s publicly filed documents.

There can be no assurance that any mineralisation will be discovered,
that mineralisation will be proven to be economic, or that future
required regulatory licensing or approvals will be obtained. The
Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in the
forward-looking information are reasonable. Assumptions have been made
regarding, among other things, the Company’s ability to carry on its
exploration activities, the sufficiency of funding, the timely receipt
of required approvals, the price of gold and other precious metals, the
ability of the Company to operate in a safe, efficient and effective
manner and the ability of the Company to obtain further financing as
and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers should not place
undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Sarama does not undertake to update any forward-looking information,
except as required by applicable laws.

Qualified Person’s Statement

Scientific or technical information in this news release that relates to
the Company’s exploration activities in Burkina Faso is based on
information compiled or approved by Michel Mercier.  Michel Mercier is
an employee of Sarama Resources Ltd and is a member in good standing of
the Ordre des Géologues du Québec and has sufficient experience which
is relevant to the commodity, style of mineralisation under
consideration and activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a
Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101.  Michel Mercier
consents to the inclusion in this report of the information, in the
form and context in which it appears.

SOURCE Sarama Resources Limited