The Gemrock mining company is asking the Mozambican government to send special military forces to guard its ruby extraction area. The request follows a terrorist attack on Thursday at one of its camps near Montepuez, in Cabo Delgado.

"Gemrock has contacted various authorities and government departments to provide military support around the perimeter of its operations, provide special forces to protect its personnel and assets, and has also asked the Cabo Delgado Administration to help bring communities back to their homes," reads a statement from the firm published by the Club of Mozambique.

The attack lasted about half an hour and reduced to ashes heavy machinery equipment, vehicles, living quarters and some of the other key infrastructure in the operations.

"Gemrock's shareholders and management are very concerned about the situation on the ground and would like to request the support of the Mozambican government authorities to bring normalcy to operations as soon as possible," the company said.

According to the company, the successive attacks endanger the ruby industry in that province and may discourage local socio-economic progress.

"The situation has been further exacerbated by the fact that nearby villages, which were a growing community and had one or more family members employed at Gemrock, have vacated their villages and are attempting to resettle in areas they feel are safer and may never return to their homes. This will not only impact Gemrock but will deprive these people of their stable income and cause them to return to live a life that is not in their best interest and not in the best interest of society at large," it reads.

Last week, the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD) said the attacks threaten the million-dollar ruby business, as companies may revise their action plans.

CDD warns that the recent attack on Gemrock "[makes] alarms sweat in Montepuez, where more than ten companies hold concessions for ruby extraction." Indeed, Montepuez Rubi Mining (MRM), which holds at least two ruby auctions a year in Singapore, has withdrawn all its workers from the mines and suspended its operations.

In the last auction MRM sold 98 kilos of ruby - but did not disclose the amount collected - Fura Mining - which extracted the most precious ruby in Mozambique with 101 carats - sold, in the first half of the year, 89 kilos of ruby, according to CDD.