Maputo, 21 Oct (AIM) – Hundreds of illegal miners on Saturday invaded the mining concession of Montepuez Ruby Mining (MRM) in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.
The ruby mine, reputedly the largest in the world, is 75 per cent owned by the London based company Gemfields, and 25 per cent by the Mozambican company, Mwiriti.
According to a report in the electronic daily, the “Mozambique Times”, riot police were deployed to the MRM concession on Sunday to drive back the invaders.
An MRM source described the invasion as the largest so far this year. MRM issue a statement confirming the invasion and claiming that it had been “encouraged by ruby smuggling syndicates”, who had mobilised informal miners from the surrounding villages.
Informal miners frequently enter the MRM concession illegally, and attempt to extract rubies. This time here are many more of them than usual, and the MRM management believes this poses a serious security risk.
The artisanal methods used by the illegal miners are extremely dangerous. The mine shafts they sink often collapse and bury the miners.
There are also fears that nowadays the ruby smuggling syndicates have links with the islamist terrorist groups operating in Cabo Delgado.
MRM says a disinformation campaign has been circulating on social media, promoted by the smuggling syndicates, claiming that MRM has opened its concession to any individuals to mine for rubies in a period of 24 hours. The MRM management says this is entirely false, and is intended “to promote disorder within the MRM concession to feed more rubies to the syndicates”.
By Sunday evening, the situation was reported as tense, with reports that the police had shot some people. MRM denied there had been any deaths, but confirmed that two people had suffered gunshot wounds.
(AIM)
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