Precious gem miner Gemfields Group has stopped operations at its Montepuez ruby mine in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province after an attack was reported at a nearby facility.
“This morning, an attack attributed to insurgent activity has been reported at the neighbouring ruby mine belonging to Gemrock, which lies about 12 km south-east of the operations… in which Gemfields holds a 75% interest,” Gemfields said in a statement.
Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province has seen an Islamic State-linked insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives since it broke out in 2017, disrupting multibillion-dollar natural gas and mining projects.
Gemfields said it had started evacuating employees and contractors, but security personnel and Mozambican police would remain on site. Mozambique military were arriving on site, it added.
In July, Gemfields reported an attack about 30 km away from its Montepuez operations, but did not halt operations.
Gemfields’ Montepuez ruby mine produced 83,990 carats of premium rubies in 2021 and has generated over $800-million in sales since 2014.