Mozambique: Five miners detained following clashes in Manica

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Mozambique: Five miners detained following clashes in Manica

12:51 CAT | 17 Nov 2025

Photo: O País

The Mozambican Police (PRM) have detained five illegal miners in Vandúzi district, in the central province of Manica, following clashes between Mozambican and Zimbabweans miners.

According to the daily paper “O País”, the clashes took place on Friday in a gold mine known as “Seis Carros” [“Six Cars”].

“It all began when a group of Zimbabweans attempted to forcibly mine the area occupied by Mozambican miners, who responded with violence”, sources said, cited by the paper.

The Mozambican State has already lost over 200 million meticais (about 3.1 million US dollars, at the current exchange rate) as a result of illegal mining in the central province of Zambezia this year.

Last September, the Mozambican Police (PRM) detained 17 individuals allegedly involved in illegal mining in the central province of Manica.

Since January, at least 20 people have died in artisanal mine collapses linked to illegal mining in Manica.

This operation is taking place at a time 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.

Source: AIM