TIPS Project | Stories of Change
TIPS Project Catalyzes Change Amidst Conflicts Resulting from Heavy Sand Mining
Communities in the Jangamo and Mutamba districts in Inhambane district in Mozambique face challenges and conflicts due to the mining of sand in the area. The ‘Towards Peaceful and Inclusive Societies’ (TIPS) project has empowered local communities to mediate with mining companies and the government on compensations and resettlements.
Orlando Comé, a 53-year-old project participant, asserts that the project has strengthened communities’ awareness of their rights and bolstered their confidence to question and challenge the government on matters related to the use of natural resources.
Reflecting on the past, he recalls that communities would previously refrain from asking questions to the authorities or the mining companies for fear of retaliation and unfamiliarity with the law. Emphasizing the transformative impact of TIPS, he notes that,
“Our communities are now more active when it comes to their rights, unlike before TIPS when we blindly accepted human rights violations. Lately, we have felt more empowered and armed with knowledge about various instruments, especially mining legislation, resettlements and the Land Law.”
Orlando Comé, representative of the resettlement commission in Mutamba.
One notable impact of the TIPS project is the recognition of communities by government authorities, the private sector, and other stakeholders as valid interlocutors through their resettlement commissions. Comé, a representative of the resettlement commission in Mutamba, notes that,
“We are called upon to contribute to various development actions because our potential to engage in negotiations is recognised. This was only possible as a result of the training that we participated in. Today, without fear, we question the authorities about a particular issue that concerns us and demand answers.”
Furthermore, the TIPS activities have led to the creation of six Natural Resources Management Committees in six different communities, which are joining forces with the Resettlement Commissions to mediate conflicts arising from mineral sand mining. Comé recounts how past conflicts between government authorities and communities were based on the lack of public consultations during the demarcation of areas for the resettlement of those affected by heavy sand mining. Unexpected demarcation without a compensation plan and insufficient information about the consequences of mining were some of the challenges faced by these communities.
Additionally, they were also denied the benefits of the Safe Land Programme, which seeks to provide land use rights certificates and improve the demarcation of land. The Resettlement Commissions and the Natural Resources Management Committees now collaborate to advocate with the government authorities and the mining company for corrective actions. Towards the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023, four public consultation meetings were conducted, where the company Mutamba Minerals Sand presented about their project to the community, the environmental impact report, the compensation plan for the families to be resettled, and the model of houses that will be built in the future for the benefit of the communities.
In addition to these efforts, the TIPS project has organized meetings in the communities focused on mining and land law, conflict mediation strategies and the promotion of dialogue. In this way, the project has empowered communities to design and execute advocacy and lobbying actions with the mining company and district government authorities with the aim of promoting dialogue towards the inclusive management of natural resources.
About the TIPS Project
‘Towards an Inclusive and Peaceful Society in Mozambique‘ (TIPS) is a European Union-funded project implemented between January 2021 to December 2023, which seeks to contribute to conflict prevention, crisis preparedness and response, and peacebuilding through an inclusive nautral resources governance and management in Mozambique. The project is implemented by a consortium of actors comprised of Finn Church Aid and the Peacemakers Network, Institute of Social and Economic Studies (Instituto de Estudos Sociais e Económicos-IESE) and the Institute for Multiparty Democracy (Instituto para a Democracia Multipartidaria) in collaboration with the Council of Religions in Mozambique (Conselho das Religiões em Moçambique – COREM).
Follow the Network on social