Africa-Press – Mozambique. Montepuez Ruby Mining (MRM) has called on the Mozambican authorities to take “more proactive measures” against those who “finance, facilitate and encourage the illegal trade in rubies”, following another deadly incident involving miners who invaded the concession in northern Mozambique.
In a statement sent to Lusa today, MRM said that on the morning of 27 December, the security team in the concession area in Montepuez, Cabo Delgado province, detected “illegal mining activity” inside it.
“Heavy rains during the night left the ground unstable, and the waterlogged terrain collapsed on three illegal miners while they were building underground tunnels. Two individuals were slightly injured, and the third illegal miner was reported dead in the incident,” the company said.
It added that the “illegal miners removed the two injured individuals, whose identities remain unknown, and left the body of the deceased near a surveillance post.”
A joint patrol team composed of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) and MRM protection services was sent to the site to confirm the status of the incident, which was reported to the competent authorities for compliance with subsequent protocols, including the National Criminal Investigation Service.
“The deceased was identified as a 24-year-old man from the district of Mueda, who had been residing in Montepuez,” the mining company said.
MRM said that it carries out “continuous” communication activities to “warn about the dangers of illegal mining, spreading awareness messages in neighbouring communities”, where “illegal miners often take temporary shelter”, about the “dangers of illegal mining to dissuade individuals from putting themselves and others at risk”.
“This incident has been brought to the attention of district, provincial and national authorities in the hope that more proactive measures will be taken against those who finance, facilitate and encourage the illegal trade in Mozambican rubies, which harms Mozambique and its people due to the loss of lives and the deprivation of necessary tax revenues from Mozambique’s mineral resources,” it added.
Two members of the PRM died on 15 October during the incursion of 40 “illegal” miners into the same mine, confirmed at the time by MRM, owned by the international company Gemfields.
“They attacked PRM agents at the gate, killing two, one of whom was the commander of Mozambique’s Natural Resources Protection Force. No MRM employees or contractors were injured in the attack, and conditions at the site have been calm since then,” the mining company explained.
It added that MRM “was informed that the attack could be related to district immigration authorities who, earlier in the day, were investigating suspected illegal immigrants in a local village and during which, according to reports, one person died”.
Gemfields had already announced on 7 October that it had postponed the auction of rubies from the Montepuez mine in Mozambique until early 2026, citing the impact of daily “sabotage” by hundreds of illegal miners at the new facility under construction in that area in Cabo Delgado.
In a statement sent to Lusa, the company said it had “decided to postpone the usual November/December ruby auction to January/February” due to “the previously announced delay in the definitive start-up of the second processing plant,” which was “aggravated by the action of illegal miners.”
It explained that, “although definitive operation is still scheduled for October,” the operation of the new factory “was significantly affected during the last week by illegal miners, who currently number between 250 and 400 per day, sabotaging the factory’s supply infrastructure.”
