This content was first published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review no. 16 in 2023. The information provided here is therefore current as of the original publication date.
The Islamic Al-Shabab insurgency (3,100 dead, according to ACLED, 856,000 displaced people) broke out in October 2017 in Cabo Delgado, the coastal province of Mozambique. It is targeting the domestic mineral resources, mainly the natural gas reserves, currently strategic, host to an estimated $60 billion worth of international investment. Armed groups attacked on October 20, 2022 the ruby mining activities starting from the concession exploited by Gemrock which lies approximately 12km south-east of Gemfields (83,990 carats of premium rubies produced in 2021, totalling $827.1 million in sales since 2014) licensed operations.
Gemfields’ gold mining project at the village of Nairoto, 83 km north of its Montepuez Ruby Mining site, has been attacked as well on February 10, 2023 and evacuated. The most massive action by the armed rebel group took place in February 2021, when the city of Palma was taken and kept under check. This has led to a military response in July 2021 with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), resulted in the liberation of the districts near to gas projects. But despite being weakened, and seemingly no longer able to conduct big scale attacks, al-Shabab adapted quickly and broke up into small cells across a larger area, raiding villages, minor mining sites and security posts, causing panic in the communities.
Gem News published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review #16, Summer 2023
