Mozambique: Bad weather, problems delay arrival of refugee ship from Palma – Lusa

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Mozambique: Bad weather, problems delay arrival of refugee ship from Palma – Lusa

1:16 CAT | 31 Mar 2021

FILE - For illustration purposes only. People waiting in Pemba port, on Sunday, Macrh 28, 2021. [File photo: Lusa]

A boat carrying over 1,000 displaced people from the town of Palma, northern Mozambique, will arrive in Pemba later than expected due to bad weather and technical difficulties, a source accompanying the operation told Lusa on Wednesday.

According to an announcement by oil company Total on Tuesday, the arrival had been scheduled for this morning with around 1,000 people on board. Still, the number of people sheltering in Afungi was higher, said the same source, without providing more numbers.

Meanwhile, the journey on the high seas is being hampered by bad weather on the 200 to 300-kilometre route to Pemba, the provincial capital, along with technical difficulties.

The arrival is now expected to take place this evening, he added.

The ship is carrying around 1,000 displaced people, most of them poorer people who fled Wednesday 24th’s attack on the town of Palma and who had been suffering from a lack of food, water and shelter near the gas project site, where they sought safety.

According to a source from the oil company Total, priority for transportation is given to the most vulnerable people.

Since Sunday, several boats organised by Total and the authorities have been transporting people to Palma, in a number that is expected to be over 2,000, but without official confirmation.

The displaced in Afungi will be only a part of the thousands fleeing and who have fled in different directions crossing the bush since Wednesday, some reaching the border with Tanzania, 50 kilometres to the north.

Sources linked to rescue and security operations told Lusa that there are still refugee populations on beaches in the district of Palma awaiting transport. There are still no clear signs of control of the village by the military forces, although there are ongoing operations.

Simultaneously, the movement of planes at the airport of Pemba has grown, with some companies using aircraft to transport employees who are still in the compound under construction in Afungi.

The violence is causing a humanitarian crisis with nearly 700,000 displaced people and more than 2,000 deaths.

On Monday, the Islamic State terrorist movement claimed control of the town of Palma, near the border with Tanzania.

Several countries have offered military support on the ground to Maputo to fight these insurgents. Still, so far, there has been no acceptance of this, although reports and testimonies point to security companies and mercenaries in the area.

Source: Lusa