Mozambique: Police trying to quell illegal immigrants in north ruby-rich region

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: Police trying to quell illegal immigrants in north ruby-rich region

3:44 CAT | 19 Jul 2022

in file CoM

Mozambique’s police (PRM) has set up an independent unit of the border guard force to stem the entry of illegal immigrants in Montepuez district, a region rich in precious stones in Cabo Delgado province.

The aim is to “minimise the presence of illegals coming from various countries, especially the countries of the Great Lakes,” said Bernardino Rafael, speaking to the media in Montepuez.

According to the official, Montepuez is a concentration point for illegal immigrants who make their way to the district attracted by the mineral resources, particularly rubies.

“They know that Montepuez has rubies, so they draw an itinerary and come here. After getting the stones, they sell them and finance terrorism,” the commander-general said.

Montepuez Ruby Mining (MRM), which mines rubies in the region, has been warning of the consequences of illegal mining, denouncing what it calls “modern slavery” to which many young people are subjected, at the behest of traffickers in precious stones on the international market, in the deposits within the company’s concession.

For the commander-general of PRM, the fundamental mission of the border guard unit set up in Montepuez should be to identify illegal immigrants, among whom may also be financiers of the armed insurgency that has terrorised northern Mozambique since 2017.

“This is what the fundamental mission is: to stem the proliferation of illegal immigrants and combat terrorism […] put up the defence belt and protect the communities and villages,” he stressed.

Cabo Delgado province is rich in natural gas but has been terrorised since 2017 by armed rebels, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

There are about 800,000 internally displaced people due to the conflict, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and about 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.

Since July 2021, an offensive by government troops with the support of Rwanda later joined by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) allowed areas where there was a rebel presence to recover, but their flight has provoked new attacks in other districts used as passage or refuge.

Source: Lusa