- Local farmers and traditional leader detained by police to enable mining operations to restart
By Noémia Mendes
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – TWIGG Exploration & Mining Limitada, a subsidiary of the Australian multinational Syrah Resources Limited, resumed operations at its graphite mine in Balama, Cabo Delgado province, on 5 May, after an eight-month blockade by local communities demanding fair compensation for the loss of land use rights (DUAT).
In a statement released this week, Syrah announced that the protests at the mine had ended and that access to the facilities had been restored. “Following a formal agreement being reached between farmers, Mozambique government authorities and the company”, the statement read. However, it added that “a small group of individuals continued to block access to the site for no legitimate reason nor claim against Syrah, over the weekend, Mozambique Government authonties cleared the remaining illegal protestors and restored site access for Balama operations”.
Local sources told MOZTIMES that access was re-established through police force. “On 2 May, around 50 agents of the Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR) were deployed to disperse the protesters who, since September 2024, had been camping in the Nkwide area, near the mine,” a local source said, adding that “the police used gunfire and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators”.
As a result of the operation, several farmers and members of the community defence militia Naparama were arrested, including the traditional leader of Balama, Mualia Issa, and Tobias António, a farmers' representative and former TWIGG employee.
Since 2014, the local population has been demanding fair compensation for land expropriated in favour of mining activities. Initially, some families received 63,000 meticais per hectare, but in 2022 others were paid up to 240,000 meticais per hectare. This disparity triggered widespread dissatisfaction. More recently, the company offered 120,000 meticais per hectare, but made the payments conditional on four months of effective production, which divided opinion among the protesters.
The use of force to reopen access to the mine may further damage relations between TWIGG and the local population, in a context already marked by allegations of labour abuses, unfair dismissals, and environmental impacts.
In December 2024, the company had declared “force majeure” and suspended operations, also affecting its ability to meet financial obligations.
The Balama graphite mine, considered one of the largest reserves of the mineral in the world, is strategic for the production of electric batteries and supplies, among others, Tesla. (NM)
