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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 16, 2012                                                              

                                                                                                                         TSX.V: AQ

                                                                                                                   Frankfurt: QM0

CORE DRILLING COMMENCES AT AFRICAN QUEEN'S ODUNDU PROPERTY IN KENYA'S RONGO GOLD FIELDS

Vancouver, British Columbia - AFRICAN QUEEN MINES LTD. (the "Company") is pleased to announce that Kenya-based Akili Minerals Services Limited has initiated the Company's core drilling program at its Odundu property in Southwest Kenya's Rongo Gold Fields.   The Company previously completed a comprehensive program of regional exploration including mapping, sampling trenching and ground and airbourne geophysics.  The Odundu property covers an area of approximately 97 sq. km in the Kanango gold mining area of the Migori District of Nyanza Province in Southwest Kenya near Lake Victoria. The Project is situated some 380 km. by road from the capital city of Nairobi and 60 km. N of the border with Tanzania, forming part of the rich Lake Victoria Greenstone Belt extending from Tanzania and hosting known world-class gold deposits including African Barrick Gold's Bulyanhulu and North Mara Mines, within approximately 100 km. of the Project, and AngloGold Ashanti's Geita Mine.

During the months of February and March, 2012, seven trenches (A, A1, B, B1, C, D and E) totaling 520m and covering a northwest-southeast strike of approximately 580m, were excavated perpendicular to the main shear zone exposing an intensely sheared, altered feldspar porphyry with evidence of leached sulfides and pervasive quartz-carbonate mineralization. Broad zones of mineralized material were recorded in trenches A (40m), A1 (26m), B (39m), B1 (32m), C (36m), D (22m) and E (33m).  Gold assay results obtained from samples from the main artisanal pit located between trenches A1 and B1 ranged between 2.12 g/t and 35.0 g/t au. Intermediate values recorded within this range were 2.43 g/t, 3.0 g/t, 8.33 g/t, and 9.70 g/t au. Channel sampling and logging of the trenches is now complete and assay results are pending from ALS Chemex Laboratories based in Mwanza, Tanzania, with check samples sent to the Mines Department assay laboratory in Nairobi.

Core drilling of the first hole, OD1, is now underway. Initially, six core drill holes (OD1 to OD6) totaling approximately 1300m have been positioned to test and confirm the gold mineralization within an anomalous area of the prominent northwest-southeast trending shear zone traversing the property. This shear zone was initially discovered through the Company's preliminary field reconnaissance work and later delineated through airborne and ground geophysics programs (PR dated February 16, 2012). Furthermore, the remainder of the drilling program, provisionally set at 2,000m with plans to extend this meterage on a result contingent basis, will test the extensions of the shear zone and other prospective targets within the property. As evidenced by polished sections of samples obtained from the main artisanal workings, gold mineralization on the property appears to be associated with rich sulfide mineralization that is now being explored over a strike of approximately 1.5 kilometers.

Holes OD1 and OD2 are planned to achieve depths of 260m and 230m respectively and will examine the width, depth, dip and gold mineralization of the larger anomaly detected by Induced Polarization (IP) geophysics. Holes OD3 and OD4 will be drilled at a distance of 120m towards the southeast and are planned to achieve depths of 260m and 190m respectively. OD5 and OD6 will be drilled towards the southeast of the main artisanal workings to depths of 240m and 150m respectively. To achieve the desired depths of the planned drill holes, while at the same time maintaining good core recoveries, Akilli Mineral Services is utilizing a Christensen CS-10 trailer-mounted drill rig that is mobilized by a Unimog 4WD truck. Initially, HQ drill rods are being used to penetrate the softer, friable ground, with substitution to NQ drill rods when harder ground is encountered. The drilling program is being overseen by the Company's senior technical team.

The exploration program at Odundu will continue and will be refined as results from both the trench sampling and drilling become available. Ultimately, a conceptual geological model to explain the pervasive gold mineralization on the property will be defined and incorporated into future exploration phases.            

The Company's rights to the Project arise from an Earn-In and Joint Venture Agreement with Kenyan-based Abba Mining Company ("Abba"), under which the Company may earn up to an 85% interest in the Project by funding prescribed optional stages from exploration through feasibility. The Company is designated as manager and operator of the Project on behalf of the joint venture partners. The Project is being managed on behalf of the Company on-site by Senior Exploration Geologist Mike Othitis, P.Geol. AI, MA, Bsc., a qualified person, who has reviewed and approved the contents of this press release.  

General Project oversight is being provided by Senior Consulting Geologist Pete Siegfried (M.Sc, MAusIMM).

According to Irwin Olian, CEO of the Company, "We are delighted that drilling is now underway at Odundu in Kenya's Rongo Gold Fields.  Odundu is an exciting target that marks the beginning of our ambitious long-term exploration plans for Kenya."

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

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