Checkpoint at mining concession. Image Estacio Valoi<\/p>\n
Getting close to the rubies still means risking your life<\/p>\n
Exactly ten years ago, in 2015, ZAM published the investigation https:\/\/www.zammagazine.com\/investigations\/586-the-ruby-plunder-wars-of-montepuez-1 .
\nIt revealed that in Montepuez, Mozambique \u2014 home to the world\u2019s richest ruby deposit \u2014 a \u201clocal general pockets proceeds while artisanal miners get shot by Special Forces.\u201d The report was met with vehement denials of responsibility by the majority mine owner, UK gemstone giant Gemfields, and with stony silence from its Mozambican partner Mwiriti, owned by ruling party Frelimo VIP, General Raimundo Pachinuapa.
\nOver the years, I have continued to visit Montepuez, each time concluding, with deep regret, that local artisanal miners are still barred from earning a living from the \u201cwealth beneath their feet\u201d \u2014 and are shot at when they try. Recently, killings have surged again, with four deaths and two injuries reported this year alone.<\/p>\n
Between Paris and Nanuni Forest
\nThe Montepuez-based ruby mine, MRM, supplies approximately 50% of the global ruby market. It is 75% owned by Gemfields and 25% by the local partner Mwiriti, which is in turn 60% owned by General Raimundo Domingos Pachinuapa, described on Gemfields https:\/\/www.gemfieldsgroup.com\/assets\/montepuez-ruby-mining-limitada\/\u2019 website as \u201ca PEP, or politically exposed person\u201d.<\/p>\n
In October 2025, MRM Gemfields once again participated in the World Jewellery Confederation\u2019s annual conference, held this year in Paris, France. In addition to hosting a gala dinner, the world\u2019s jewellery giants discussed various aspects of gemstone mining, including a workshop titled \u201cFocus on Africa.\u201d At the same time, back in Montepuez, villagers were recounting the killings. \u201cWe lost our brother,\u201d says Ossufo Ibraim Taibo, who witnessed his brother Mossito\u2019s death last month. \u201cOn that day in September, we went with a group of about 14 into the Nanuni forest to mine near the Nanuni do Branco (MRM) area. All those present were members of an artisanal mining association we had formed to gain access to the area and go to work (1). It was around 6 PM. Then the military arrived, accompanied by police officers and nacatanas, MRM\u2019s locally recruited security men, nicknamed nacatanas, which means \u2018machetes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
First, the police extorted fines, then they started shooting<\/p>\n
According to Taibo, \u201cFirst, they extorted what they called \u2018fines,\u2019 collecting fifty thousand meticais (about US$750) from all of us together. Then they began shooting at people. They shot my brother and another man, but the other man did not die. Only my brother, Mossito Cardoso, lost his life. The mine police took his body to the hospital mortuary in a police car, accompanied by some cars belonging to the supervisors. As a family, we took the body to our hometown, Nampula, 300 kilometres to the south, where we buried him. Mossito was 35 years old, leaving behind two sons, aged 14 and 16, and two widows.\u201d The death certificate, Taibo says, includes a report noting that \u201canother was also shot and seriously injured,\u201d but he \u201cmanaged to escape to the village.\u201d
\nAlthough they assisted with the transport of Cardoso\u2019s body and drew up the report, the local police did not pursue the case further, Marcelino says.
\nDeaths and Injuries in Montepuez during 2024 and 2025
\n\u2022\tAlexandre Mussa, shot and killed, 5\u20136 April 2025
\n\u2022\tBernardo Augusto, pushed into a pit and died, 23 May 2025
\n\u2022\tMossito Cardoso, shot and killed, September 2025
\n\u2022\tJoao Antonio, shot and killed, 6 October 2025
\n\u2022\tTony Marcelino, shot in the foot, 8 April 2025
\n\u2022\tBroane Saide, shot in the arm, 18 May 2025
\n\u2022\tThree deaths in an \u201cincident involving artisanal miners,\u201d 28 November 2024
\n\u2022\tLino Amade Rasa, shot in the arm and buttocks, 25 September 2025
\nAsked to respond to accusations of homicide and assault by specialised police units on MRM Gemfields territory, Cabo Delgado Provincial Police spokesperson Eugenia Nhamissua said that \u201csecurity around the MRM concession is handled by MRM\u2019s internal structures,\u201d adding that \u201cthey [MRM] have their own organisation, with a representative from the Ministry of the Interior,\u201d and that ZAM should \u201cinteract directly with those responsible for security in Montepuez Gemfields\/MRM.\u201d<\/p>\n
A sizeable taxpayer<\/p>\n
This was disputed by MRM Gemfields, which stated in a comment that, \u201cMRM protection services personnel are unarmed, do not have the power of arrest, and are subordinate to the PRM (Police of the Republic of Mozambique). The PRM and the military operate under an independent command structure from MRM, reporting to senior offices in Pemba and Maputo. It is clear that numerous members of the local authorities are connected with the illegal mining trade, and disagreements between these parties are frequent and violent.\u201d In this part of the comment, the company may have been referring to a https:\/\/www.gemfieldsgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251016-GGL-Two-Mozambique-police-officers-killed-by-illegal-miners-at-MRM.pdf, in which a group of 40 artisanal miners confronted Mozambican police officers at one of its gates, killing two. According to the Gemfields report, this confrontation followed the reported killing of a resident by authorities in one of the nearby villages.<\/p>\n
Gemfields also stated that \u201cin recent weeks (it had) collected considerable evidence of cash being paid by illegal miners to members of the police force (PRM) in exchange for access to the concession, for removing material from the concession, and for passing PRM checkpoints. This information is provided by MRM to authorities in higher offices, but despite MRM\u2019s sizable contribution as a major taxpayer in the province, progress on these issues remains unresolved.\u201d<\/p>\n
MRM Gemfields added that most cases of violence against artisanal miners, except that of Tony Marcelino, \u201cwhich was reported to the press and authorities\u201d, were \u201cunknown\u201d to the company, and that it \u201cwould naturally be very interested in receiving more information about the incidents (\u2026) and would investigate them accordingly, followed by reporting all credible incidents in accordance with our usual practice (to the authorities and via the press). In addition, we routinely recommend that all stakeholders and affected parties report wrongdoing to the relevant authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The police spokesman stopped responding<\/p>\n
Mozambican police spokesman Leonel Muchina said, in response to questions, that he had not heard of any cases of murder or assault in Montepuez, and that the police could investigate such incidents if \u201cevidence (\u2026) is presented to the police and other institutions with a stake in the management and administration of justice for verification. (Then we can) even form investigation teams to understand what is happening.\u201d When I explained to Muchina that several villagers had told me they were afraid to go to the police station for fear of arrest, and that even when they managed to report a case of violence, they rarely received a response, he stopped responding.
\nThe Ministry of Defence in Mozambique did not respond to a letter requesting comment on killings allegedly carried out by the military.<\/p>\n
No alternative livelihood
\nThe artisanal miners, or \u201cillegals,\u201d as the \u201crightful\u201d concession owners call them, continue to try to enter the ruby concession. Jobs and alternative livelihoods promised by the provincial government and the mining company at the start of the mining project in 2011 have still not materialised in the area. One-off damage payments made to locals by Gemfields https:\/\/www.leighday.co.uk\/news\/news\/2019-news\/statement-by-leigh-day-in-relation-to-the-settlement-of-the-human-rights-claims-against-gemfields-ltd\/ London-based law firm Leigh Day in 2019 \u2014 compensation given without admission of guilt \u2014 have done little to replace families\u2019 employment prospects, health care, schooling, or other essential needs.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, jobs at the mine for residents remain scarce; a petition by 330 self-declared ex-employees (2) has so far failed to secure anyone\u2019s reinstatement; and corporate social responsibility initiatives, such as a school and an ambulance, cannot structurally substitute for public services. In another story for ZAM, I reported on the provincial authorities\u2019 failure to channel tax revenues and CSR contributions from the mine towards local needs. <\/p>\n
Civil unrest destroyed projects
\nIn response to the question of why the situation has not improved for locals despite Gemfields\u2019 stated commitment to \u201csustainable\u201d and \u201cresponsible\u201d sourcing, and why locals were not permitted to mine rubies in a section of the area where they live, the London-based mining company said that \u201cartisanal mining for rubies in Cabo Delgado was fundamentally unsafe\u201d and that illegal mining was \u201crun by criminal syndicates\u201d and therefore \u201cdetrimental\u201d to the \u201csocial fabric of the villages.\u201d
\nIt added that the company \u201cliaises with village chiefs to identify suitable alternatives to illegal mining, and support developments, for example the provision of jobs, agricultural cooperatives, [and] vocational training,\u201d but that \u201csadly, several of these projects were looted and destroyed in the country-wide civil unrest surrounding the contested election in December 2024.\u201d Ironically, the protests in which, according to Gemfields, these projects were \u201clooted and destroyed\u201d were aimed at the misgovernance of the same ruling party of which Gemfields\u2019 local partner, General Raimundo Pachinuapa, is a high-ranking member.<\/p>\n
According to its website, Gemfields, \u201ctogether with MRM, aims to lead a sector that has historically been unregulated and largely illicit by demonstrating the benefits of a more systematic, modern, and transparent approach to coloured gemstone mining, so that the industry becomes more responsible and legitimate, delivering sustainable long-term social, economic, and environmental benefits to both the country and local communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
1.\tIn 2023, the provincial government allocated an area in Montepuez to artisanal mining associations. A project was launched in consultation with the mining companies operating in the region, facilitated by a locally connected political consultant. The initiative ultimately failed amid complaints from the associations that they had been \u201ccheated\u201d out of their shares by both the consultant and the companies shares by both the consultant and the companies .
\n2.\tGemfields confirms in its comment that \u201ca group of 330 individuals, claiming to be ex-employees of MRM, allege that they were unlawfully dismissed and are seeking compensation,\u201d but notes that \u201conly 115 of the 330 claimants were found to be bona fide ex-employees of MRM\u201d and that \u201cMozambican labour law was followed in the termination of the contracts.\u201d
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https:\/\/www.zammagazine.com\/investigations\/2045-mozambique-the-killings-behind-the-gate<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Checkpoint at mining concession. Image Estacio Valoi Getting close to the rubies still means risking your life Exactly ten years ago, in 2015, ZAM published the investigation https:\/\/www.zammagazine.com\/investigations\/586-the-ruby-plunder-wars-of-montepuez-1 . It revealed that in Montepuez, Mozambique \u2014 home to the world\u2019s richest ruby deposit \u2014 a \u201clocal general pockets proceeds while artisanal miners get shot by […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,273],"tags":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings.png",1280,960,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings.png",1280,960,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings.png",1280,960,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings-250x188.png",150,113,true],"medium":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings-400x300.png",300,225,true],"large":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings-650x488.png",650,488,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings.png",1280,960,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings.png",1280,960,false],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings-16x12.png",16,12,true],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings-150x113.png",150,113,true],"retina2x":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings-800x600.png",800,600,true],"retina3x":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings-1200x900.png",1200,900,true],"retina4x":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings.png",1280,960,false],"retina5x":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings.png",1280,960,false],"retina6x":["https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the_killings.png",1280,960,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Reda\u00e7\u00e3o CJIMOZ","author_link":"https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/en\/author\/hcuambe\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Crime Organizado<\/a> Direitos Humanos<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Checkpoint at mining concession. Image Estacio Valoi Getting close to the rubies still means risking your life Exactly ten years ago, in 2015, ZAM published the investigation https:\/\/www.zammagazine.com\/investigations\/586-the-ruby-plunder-wars-of-montepuez-1 . It revealed that in Montepuez, Mozambique \u2014 home to the world\u2019s richest ruby deposit \u2014 a \u201clocal general pockets proceeds while artisanal miners get shot by…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3457"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3457"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3461,"href":"https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3457\/revisions\/3461"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cjimoz.org.mz\/news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}