Desert Sun Investors' Conference Call and Outlook for 2004; Building on Success and Progress of 2003.

Business Editors

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 19, 2004

DESERT SUN MINING CORP. (TSX:DSM) today provided a progress update and outlook overview for the Jacobina Mines property on the Bahia Gold Belt in Brazil. Desert Sun will hold its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders at 4:30 pm on Wednesday January 21, 2004 at the National Club, 303 Bay St., Toronto, Ontario. The AGM, including multimedia presentation, will be webcast live and can be accessed via the Desert Sun website at www.desertsunmining.com.

Additionally, management of the Company will hold an investors' teleconference call with a question and answer session on Wednesday January 21st at 10:30 am EST. The conference is expected to last for 30 minutes and will include a presentation by the management, followed by a question and answer period during which calls will be taken. Interested parties are invited to participate in the meeting by calling one of the following telephone numbers:

Local callers: 416-695-9753

North American callers: 1-877-888-4210

International callers: [phone]

"The management team at Desert Sun remains very positive on the prospects for building on the successes of 2003, and achieving more significant milestones in 2004" stated Chief Executive Officer Stan Bharti.

In 2003, the Company completed several significant achievements:

-- A bankable feasibility study by SNC-Lavalin confirmed the

economic viability for reactivation of the Jacobina Mines and

confirmed that the Jacobina Mines can produce over 100,000

ounces per year with the existing reserves at a cash cost of

US$189 per ounce

-- The bankable feasibility study indicates that at US$350 gold,

the project has an after tax rate of return of 39.2% with tax

losses

-- Completion of the acquisition of 100% ownership of the

Jacobina Mines and the Bahia Gold Belt

-- A major new discovery at the Morro do Vento target area which

could add an additional 1 million ounces to the approximately

existing 4 million ounce resource (of which approximately 1.4

million ounces are measured and indicated and 2.5 million

ounces are inferred)

-- Geological work confirmed a doubling of the strike length of

the Serra do Corrego conglomerates

-- A US$5 million exploration program commenced

-- Over $40 million in capital was raised

-- A TSX listing was obtained

For 2004, the Company has many strategic objectives:

-- Reactivate the existing mines as per the feasibility study

-- Progress on plan to be fully operational in 2005, producing

over 100,000 ounces of gold per year at a cash cost of US$189

-- Convert the existing resource to at least 2 million ounces of

mineral reserves and increase the total resource to at least 5

million ounces

-- Significantly expand the exploration program

-- Demonstrate the scale and potential of the 110 km Bahia Gold

Belt

-- Obtain a listing on a US stock exchange

Operations

At the Canavieiras mine, dewatering has been completed and services are being installed. Dewatering of the Itapicuru and Joao Belo mines has commenced. Cleanup of the plant has been completed and rehabilitation and upgrading of plant equipment is now in progress. DSM's Engineering, Construction Procurement and Management (ECPM) team has been assembled and is on site. Under the leadership of Peter Tagliamonte, who recently joined Desert Sun as Chief Operating Officer after successfully managing Eldorado Corp.'s Sao Bento mine in Brazil, the Company is working toward mine construction being completed for full production starting in January 2005.

Exploration

The Company has committed US$5 million to exploration for 2004. Currently there are six drills operating, with a plan in place to increase to ten drills in the coming weeks. Underground drilling, which began at Canavieiras in December 2003, is ongoing. Drilling is continuing at Joao Belo Sul and Morro do Vento and is planned for a number of other target zones. Further exploration will take place at the recently discovered Pindobacu Outlier, 45 km to the north of Jacobina, and initial drilling is expected to commence in the coming months.

A preliminary assessment of the open pit potential Morro do Vento is expected to be completed in the coming weeks and SRK Consulting has been retained to carry out a scoping study on Morro do Vento.

Financial

The Company continues to have a strong balance sheet with $32 million in cash and no debt. Desert Sun also announced the appointment of Mr. Tony Wonnacott as Corporate Secretary of the Company.

"With a very active program on several fronts, we continue to work very diligently at achieving recognition for the unique combination of assets owned by Desert Sun. We continue to proceed toward low-cost production slated to begin in 2005. We are very focused on significantly increasing our mineral reserves and total mineral resource, and our blue sky exploration program will demonstrate the tremendous scale and opportunity of the Bahia Gold Belt" concluded Stan Bharti.

Statements in this release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual developments or results may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking statements".

Desert Sun Mining is a Canadian gold exploration and development company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. (www.desertsunmining.com).