Maputo — The Mozambican Police (PRM) have detained 17 individuals allegedly involved in illegal mining in the central province of Manica.
According to the police spokesperson in Manica, Eunice Faustino, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the detainees were in possession of 200 tonnes of fluorites, a mineral used in metallurgy, chemistry and ceramics, especially for production of steel, aluminum, zinc and special alloys.
The minerals were about to be exported to China through the port of Beira.
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"The PRM in Manica, in collaboration with the PRM in Tete, launched a planned operation that culminated in the dismantling of a yard belonging to a Chinese national. The minerals in question were illegally obtained', she said.
Faustino explained that the fluorite was exploited in Guro district "but during the operation, all minerals were seized, which means the illegal activity and the clandestine exports were interrupted.'
"The group's leader denied operating illegally, claiming to have held a mining license for at least four months. Authorities are now investigating the validity of the documentation presented and the group's possible links to clandestine export networks', Faustino said.
According to the National Directorate of Geology and Mining, the country loses revenue of about 90 million meticais (1.4 million US dollars) a year due to illegal mining. Since January, at least 20 people have died in artisanal mine collapses linked to illegal mining in Manica.
This operation takes place at a moment when the Inspectorate-General of Mineral Resources and Energy (IGREME) has decided to temporarily suspend mining in Manica, following denunciations from the local population, who have been complaining about environmental pollution, notably contamination of the rivers caused by artisanal mining.
The pollution is affecting, for example, important sources of drinking water such as the Revue river and the Chicamba reservoir, causing serious public health problems.
