About 300 people on Sunday stormed a Gemfields Group Ltd. ruby mine in Mozambique, which accounts for about half the world's supply of the stones, Chief Executive Sean Gilbertson said. Two people were shot and wounded by police, he said.

A crowd of around 500 people gathered later in the day in a village near the Montepuez ruby mine in northeastern Mozambique with the intention of entering the mine, Gilbertson said by text message. The ruby smuggling syndicates had started a disinformation campaign before that the company "opened its mine for mining by anyone" for 24 hours, when it didn't, he said.

"This campaign is false" and was promoted by ruby smuggling syndicates, the company said in a statement. "Two people suffered gunshot wounds when police responded to the escalating aggression."

Gemfields shares fell 2.5% at 10am in Johannesburg on Monday.

The company has faced repeated raids on the mine site, located in one of the poorest regions of Mozambique.

In 2019, the company reached a settlement over allegations of human rights abuses surrounding the operation. It did not admit responsibility.

Political tensions have been high in Mozambique since the October 9 general election. Several observer organizations have raised questions about the credibility of the country's electoral process.

At a campaign rally on September 29 in Montepuez, Mondlane brought a populist message, saying that only foreign companies had won licenses to exploit the gems, and locals had gained nothing from the resources. Artisanal diggers should get licenses, he said amid applause.

Montepuez Ruby Mining's security personnel, including police officers assigned to protect the concession, participate in mandatory human rights training, Gemfields said. (Bloomberg)