Burag Gurden EEB/Environmental Justice Project August 31, 2017
Tete Province is very rich in coal. An estimated 23 billion tons of mostly untapped coal lies beneath Tete. It is expected to become the region’s energy powerhouse built on coal and hydroelectricity. However, local farmer communities have been on the losing side of the coal boom so far, especially since large scale resettlements forced them out.
Earlier this summer, Hussene Antonio walked his herd from a small Mozambican village to some graze-friendly grassland. The land he was heading to once belonged to his community, until several mining companies including Brazilian Vale S.A., British Rio Tinto, Australian Riversdale Resources Limited as well as Indian giant Jindal Steel and Power Limited swarmed to the place with investments worth billions of dollars. Their extensive concession rights cover half the province. The more than 6 million ha they claim includes nearly all the grasslands that herdsmen from the region need access to. Read full story.
Photo credit: Mozambique Mining Post