Temporalities of mining and displacement/resettlement in Mozambique’s coal frontier

Community displacement and resettlement is an integral part of mining operations and closely linked with mining temporalities. Previous studies have examined the temporalities on displacement and resettlement and their impacts. What is less examined is the implication of ownership shifts during displacement and resettlement processes for affected communities. In Tete, an emerging coalmining region in central Mozambique, before the start of coal production in 2011, the Brazilian mining firm Vale led the resettlement of more than a thousand families in Moatize District. In 2022, however, Vale sold its coal project to the Indian mining company, Vulcan, and transferred the ongoing resettlement project to Vulcan. This article shows that such shifts in ownership have triggered changes in the corporate displacement and resettlement policy along with changing engagements with national mining policies. These changes have forced the community residents in the coalmining region to cope with increased long-term uncertainties regarding the resettlement project. The article advances scholarship on the relationship between multi-dimensional temporalities and displacement and resettlement processes by foregrounding the underexplored implications of temporal disruptions caused by shifts in investors and the resulting effects on community residents. As more investor shifts are expected in coal projects due to increasing decarbonsiation efforts, the role of host governments has become more important in protecting the community residents’ interests and improving long-term resettlement outcomes.