CIP accuses Chinese company of environmental crimes in Angoche district
The Mozambican anti-corruption NGO, the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), has accused the Chinese company Haiyu Mining of committing environmental crimes that “seriously” affect communities of Angoche district, in the northern province of Nampula, where it exploits ilmenite and zircon, mined from heavy mineral sands.
Photo: MINERAÇÃO PREDATÓRIA - Impactos socioeconómico e ambiental da exploração de areias pesadas pela empresa Haiyu Mining, para as comunidades do distrito de Angoche
According to a study carried out between March and September 2024, which was recently launched in Nampula, communities of Angoche district face negative social, economic and environmental impacts resulting from Haiyu’s mining.
“This activity is intensifying social inequalities and increasing poverty in the affected regions. The company has not responded to requests for clarification on the environmental damage observed in the region, such as the planting of the exotic species, casuarines, which harms the development of native species”, said Mery Rodrigues, a CIP researcher, cited by the independent newsheet “Carta de Moçambique.”
For his part, Edson Cortez, the director of CIP, citing the same study, said that socio-economic and environmental problems resulting from the mining of heavy sands are not limited to Angoche, but extend to several provinces.
He criticized the lack of effective oversight by the authorities and the absence of transparency in the companies’ operations, pointing out that communities are often left without information about the impacts of mining.
In response to the accusations, Juyi Li, representative of Haiyu Mining, said that the company has been solving environmental issues since 2017 “and that the company is committed to recovering degraded areas. Communication with local communities is constant and CIP’s research is based on outdated data.”
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