Gemfields says the disturbances could disrupt a Mozambican ruby ​​mine

At least 130 people were killed in clashes with police, according to civil society monitoring group Plataforma Decide, and the operations of other foreign miners operating in Mozambique, including South32, were affected.

“Groups associated with illegal ruby ​​mining and the ruby ​​trade have taken advantage of the political unrest,” Gemfields said in a statement.

On Monday, she said, “agitators” set fire to the police station in Namanhambere, a village close to Gemfields Montepuez Ruby Mining Limited (MRM) in the northern Cabo Delgado province.

The MRM office, community center and community radio center built by the company in Namanhambere also caught fire.

“Based on the course of the ongoing situation, there may be interruptions to MRM’s mining operations as a result of these disruptions,” Gemfields said.

In another village near MRM operations, a water well was vandalized, and in a third village people set fire to the police station, the residence of the local police chief and the administrative offices of the Namanhambere district.

The company’s website says MRM is 75% owned by Gemfields and employs about 1,400 people.

Opponents and election observers repeatedly accused Frelimo of vote rigging, although it denied those accusations. The Electoral Commission did not comment on allegations of fraud in this year’s elections.

(Writing by Bhargav Acharya and Yamini Kalia; Editing by Alexander Wenning and Barbara Lewis)