Mozambique: Govt wants EU business partnerships for raw material supply, processing
Photo: DW
Mozambique’s National Human Rights Commission on Friday denounced violations of the right to information and disrespect for human life on the part of the Chinese company Africa Great Wall Mining, which is mining heavy sands in Zambezia province, in the centre of the country.
“We found that there are problems regarding information for the community about the company’s activities,” said Ernesto Lipapa, who led the commission’s team investigating locals’ complaints. “The process was not adequately prepared so that the population would understand the importance of the project beforehand.”
According to Lipapa, the population demonstrated against the setting up of the business by the Chinese firm in Olinda, in Inhassunge district, with riots culminating in the intervention of security guards and the Mozambican police.
Locals feel they were unjustly treated in the resettlement process, arguing that the land allocated to them does not offer scope for agriculture as it is not suitable for cultivation.
The company has said that it was unaware of these allegations, and that it complied with all the clauses established under the terms of the concession.
“The company does not believe it has violated human rights,” said Istaquima Mamudo of Africa Great Wall Mining, as cited by Mozambique public television.
In August this year the G20 civil society platform, comprising 40 Mozambique-based organisations, accused the company of failing to pay tax and of promoting forced resettlements in the areas where it operates.
Africa Great Wall Mining, a subsidiary of China’s Jinan Yuxiao Group, in 2012 obtained a 15-year concession to mine ilmenite, titanium and zircon – minerals used in various technological industries, including aeronautics and telecommunications – in 25,000 hectares in Inhassunge district.
In 2013, the company announced an investment of around $130 million (€117 million) in the mining of so-called heavy sands in Zambezia province.
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