Chimoio, Mozambique, Sept. 17, 2025 (Lusa) - The Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) announced on Wednesday that it had arrested 17 illegal miners in Manica, in the centre of the country, led by a Chinese national, in possession of more than 200 tonnes of fluorite.

"The PRM in Manica, in coordination with the PRM in Tete, launched a planned operation that culminated in the dismantling of a construction site belonging to a Chinese national," Eunice Faustino, press officer for the PRM in Manica, told the media.

According to the authorities, fluorite was being illegally mined at a shipyard in the district of Guro and, during the operation, more than 200 tonnes of the ore were found, ready to be exported to China via the port of Beira, in Sofala province.

The alleged leader of the group denied that he was operating illegally, claiming to have had an exploration licence for at least four months.

At least 20 people have died in collapses at artisanal mines associated with illegal mining in Manica province since January, local authorities announced earlier.

Many of the accidents that occur during illegal mining in Manica are not reported by the communities, for fear of reprisals, which is why it is still difficult to determine the exact number of deaths resulting from these practices, the director of the provincial infrastructure services, Silva Manuel, said at the time.

According to the representative, the districts of Manica, Gondola and Báruè have recorded the most fatalities in these collapses.

Manica is rich in minerals, mainly gold, especially in the districts of Macossa, Manica, Barué, Sussundenga and Gondola.

On 24 March, two people died in accidents involving illegal mining in the province.

The two deaths occurred in a tourmaline mine in Báruè, a district identified by the provincial authorities as one of the worst affected by this activity.

In February, at least three people died and two suffered minor injuries due to landslides at the same tourmaline mine.

LYCE/ADB // ADB.

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