By Alex MacDonald
LONDON--Mining titan Rio Tinto PLC (RIO) said Friday that it has
asked the families of its foreign employees to leave Mozambique
amid mounting violence, the worst since the country ended its civil
war about two decades ago.
"Rio Tinto Coal Mozambique can confirm that it is making
arrangements for the dependent family members of its foreign
employees to return to their home countries temporarily," the
Anglo-Australia miner said in a statement.
"The safety of the employees and their families is the number
one priority and the business will continue to monitor the
situation and respond appropriately," it added.
Rio Tinto owns and operates coal concessions in the northwest
province of Tete and has been exporting coal from the region since
2012. Rio Tinto said the operations "continue as planned, including
the shipment of coal."
A company spokeswoman didn't provide further details as to why
it was evacuating the families of its foreign employees but
international firms have grown nervous about the escalating
violence in the country.
Mozambique has experienced months of sporadic, low-level clashes
between the Renamo opposition party and government forces. In June,
Rio Tinto suspended coal shipments from the region after Renamo
threatened to disrupt the Sena railway line, which is used by Rio
and Brazilian miner Vale SA (VALE) to transport coal to the port of
Beira for export.
The violence escalated last week when Mozambique troops attacked
Renamo's main bush camp where Renamo's leader Afonso Dhlakama was
based, forcing him to flee into hiding. Renamo accused the
government of trying to kill Mr. Dhlakama and said the action
signalled the end of the Rome Peace Accords, the 1992 agreement
that ended the 16-year civil war.
Earlier this week Mozambique government forces seized a second
military base of the former Renamo rebels, a week after raiding the
group's main base.
Renamo had already staged several attacks in their central
Mozambique heartland and in June warned that they would block the
flow of goods and people along the country's main north-to-south
highway.
Write to Alex MacDonald at alex.macdonald@wsj.com
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