Mozambique: Nobody died in the ‘Amarula’ – official source | Carta de Moçambique

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Mozambique: Nobody died in the ‘Amarula’ – official source | Carta de Moçambique

7:37 CAT | 28 Mar 2021

Image: Twitter / @nrogeiro

No one died at the Amarula hotel, as a result of a terrorist attack, an official source assured “Carta”. Some foreign media publications have been amplifying the information according to which the ‘ Amarula’ went from a place of refuge (of expatriates, VIPs and people from different places ) to a scenario of tragedy, due to alleged deaths as an evacuation convoy reportedly left for Afungi.

A certain inoperability of the FDS in activating the evacuation is criticised, but never is it mentioned that the DAG mercenaries and the Total operationals were involved, from the early hours of the jihadist raid on Palma, in this [evacuation] process (on the night of Thursday), favouring the rescue of expatriates and leaving the non-resident Mozambicans for the last moment.

[Such information] only refers to this tragedy due to the alleged seven deaths of foreigners, but it is not known how many Mozambican civilians were killed in this terrorist incursion into Palma. “Nobody died in Amarula,” said an official source, asserting that the last expatriates evacuated from Palma were “six Britons who were at the lighthouse.” The source said that only one man died, a South African, “Craig’s son”. The circumstances were not specified.

After an appearance on Thursday, confirming the attack, the army disappeared from the map. For the rest, information remains scarce. Our source said the fighting continued in the vicinity of Palma, with scattered shootings.

New revelations about the insurgents’ tactics to enter Palma emerge. They implied concentrating people in a buffer zone [critical] for their performance, waiting for the FDS helicopters to bomb there. This did not happened. Local military intelligence discovered the ruse.

The reason why the jihadists assaulted Palma at this time is unknown, days after the Government and Total renewed their partnership to make Area 1 viable and a few days before funders’ disbursements for the project began. The attack on Palma alone is not enough to interrupt the Area 1 LNG project, an industry source said. Palma has the logistical contribution that the road provides, but which the sea can replace. And this will be so in the near future.

In any case, after this attack on Palma, speculation has increased that Total will withdraw, as it did in January 2021. Our source said it was unlikely to happen, while admitting the possibility that Total would come to demand a review of the security plans, which were announced on Wednesday morning, hours before the assault.

How long will Palma remain under siege? It is not known. Behind the scenes, it is alleged that the jihadist incursion into Palma was intended to ease the military grip on the siege on Mocímboa da Praia (still in the hands of terrorists, to allow [drug] traffic to flow. Last Tuesday, the Mozambican police seized about of 360 kg of heroin and methamphetamine. It is assumed that the shipment’s destination was the terrorist bases in Cabo Delgado.

Very sad that some people – maybe well intended – divulged details of the evacuation when this one was still going on. Fortunately other details were false. Also should be investigated who passed a partial list of guests to a dubious party. https://t.co/GaRj7ENX4n

— Nuno Rogeiro @nrogeiro (@nrogeiro) March 27, 2021