Two Shot as Crowds Storm Ruby Mine
October 27, 24
(IDEX Online) - Police reportedly shot and injured two people after a violent crowd stormed the Montepuez ruby mine in Mozambique.
Locals were responding to false claims that the deposit was open for public mining during a 24-hour period last Sunday (20 October).
Three hundred people invaded a pit at the mine, and a further 500 gathered at a nearby village intending to do so.
Gemfields, which owns a 75 per cent share of the mine, blamed ruby smuggling syndicates and told Bloomberg News the campaign was fake.
Montepuez supplies around half the world's rubies. Last year it sold $242m at auction.
The incident happened against a backdrop of heightened political tensions in Mozambique, following widespread allegations in the October 9 election, in which Daniel Chapo became president. Montepuez is in one of the poorest regions of the country.
Pic of the Montepuez mine, courtesy Gemfields.