Some say Renamo gunmen took over the new tourmaline mine – Police tell a different story

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Some say Renamo gunmen took over the new tourmaline mine – Police tell a different story

4:57 CAT | 18 Mar 2016

VOA (File Photo)

Alleged Renamo Gunmen have reportedly occupied a tourmaline mine discovered last week in the Mavonde border region in Manica province.

The group are reported to have chased away Natural Resources and Environmental Protection agency police deployed to the area after the discovery, and are currently exploiting the mine using local miners.

“The tourmaline deposit was discovered only days ago and Renamo men immediately occupied the area. Now they are buying the stones from a group of miners they gave tools to,” a prospector in the region told VOA.

Another miner said that “the Natural Resources and Environment police came to control the mine too and there was fierce shooting”. He said armed men are still on site, with many foreigners involved in the purchase and smuggling of minerals now heading there.

Manica police, however, are talking the situation down.

Elcidia Filipe, police command spokesman, confirms the discovery of the gems in Mavonde but says that a contingent of the Natural Resources and Environment police is in control of the area and preventing the looting of stones.

“Our colleagues are there and are doing the job dictated by their responsibilities,” Filipe said, saying that the police presence was not due to any threat by Renamo.

“We have not found this to be the case. When we learnt of the discovery, we put men there as mandated, but not as if going up against alleged armed Renamo men already there or intending to seize the resources illicitly,” he added, denying that there were clashes between the police and armed men on Tuesday.

Riots have occurred recently during actions to disperse illegal miners in the Mavonde zone as environmental police battle to control a vast area in the border region fertile in natural resources.

Officially, Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama has a concession in a tourmaline mine in Nhampassa in Barue district, not far from Mavonde, which lies along the string of mountains that divide Mozambique from Zimbabwe.

Source: VOA Portugues