Un anillo letal de carbón: El regalo envenenado de VALE a Mozambique

A research paper by Friends of the Earth International detailing the human rights, environmental, and health impacts of VALE's coal mining operations in the Tete province of Mozambique, specifically focusing on the Moatize mine and the Nacala logistics corridor.

• VALE Moçambique operated the Moatize coal mine, which officially opened in May 2011 and produced 11.3 million tonnes of coal annually. In 2009, VALE reported 1,087 million tonnes of coal resources across its projects, with 954 million tonnes located at Moatize, with an expected depletion date of 2046.
• In December 2021, VALE signed a binding agreement to sell the Moatize coal mine and the Nacala logistics corridor to Vulcan Minerals (part of the Jindal Group) for $270 million, pending approval from the Mozambican government.
• The mining operations led to the forced displacement of thousands of families. Between 2009 and 2010, VALE relocated 1,365 families to the Cateme and 25 de Setembro resettlement areas and another 2,000 families along the Nacala corridor. Many of these families, who relied on subsistence farming and livestock, faced inadequate housing, poor soil quality, and lack of water access.
• Local communities have suffered severe water scarcity and contamination. Rivers were diverted for mine use, contaminated, or disappeared under sand. In 2019, the expansion of the Moatize III mine blocked the Primeiro de Maio, Liberdade, and Paiol communities' access to the Moatize river, impacting farmers and brickmakers (oleiros).
• There are documented reports of systemic police violence used to protect VALE's interests, including the use of rubber bullets, live ammunition, and tear gas against protesters. Specific incidents include the arbitrary detention of brickmakers and a May 7, 2021, police ambush in the Primeiro de Maio neighborhood where a resident named Vasco was shot in the stomach by a Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR) agent.
• The mining activity has caused significant public health crises and environmental degradation. Air pollution from dynamite explosions and truck dust has led to respiratory issues, with residents reporting coughing up black material. In 2021, laboratory analysis of water in the Liberdade neighborhood showed cadmium levels of 0.009 mg/l, three times the limit of 0.003 mg/l set by Mozambique and the WHO. Hospital sources in Moatize report an increasing number of tuberculosis cases linked to this pollution.
• VALE has faced legal challenges regarding transparency. The Administrative Litigation Court ruled in December 2020 that VALE must provide environmental monitoring reports (2013-2020) to Justiça Ambiental (JA!)/Friends of the Earth Mozambique, rejecting the company's claim that the documents were confidential. Another court in Maputo ordered VALE to disclose memorandums of understanding and tax payment information to the Mozambique Bar Association (OAM).

APA

Valoi, E. (2022). Un anillo letal de carbón: El regalo envenenado de VALE a Mozambique. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/es/vale-mozambiqueun-anillo-letal-de-carbon/

Chicago

Valoi, Estacio. Un anillo letal de carbón: El regalo envenenado de VALE a Mozambique. Friends of the Earth International, 2022. https://www.foei.org/es/vale-mozambiqueun-anillo-letal-de-carbon/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Valoi |first1=Estacio |title=Un anillo letal de carbón: El regalo envenenado de VALE a Mozambique |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=11 March 2022 |url=https://www.foei.org/es/vale-mozambiqueun-anillo-letal-de-carbon/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{valoi2022anillo, author = {Valoi, Estacio}, title = {{Un anillo letal de carbón: El regalo envenenado de VALE a Mozambique}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2022}, month = mar, url = {https://www.foei.org/es/vale-mozambiqueun-anillo-letal-de-carbon/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }