Attack on Palma “a severe blow to thousands of Mozambican jobs” – OTM

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Attack on Palma “a severe blow to thousands of Mozambican jobs” – OTM

8:23 CAT | 14 Apr 2021

Photo: Lusa

The secretary-general of the Mozambican Workers’ Organization (OTM), the largest union association in the country, said on Monday that the attacks on the district of Palma, home to multi-million-dollar natural gas projects, was a “hard blow for thousands of jobs”.

“The attacks on Palma and the suspension of work are a severe blow to thousands of Mozambican jobs,” Alexandre Munguambe said.

“Many workers are seeing their contracts terminated” because companies cannot continue to provide services and goods to oil multinationals, due to the violence in Cabo Delgado and the suspension of gas project work, the official said.

“Cabo Delgado was a great hope for unemployed young people, but that hope has flown away,” he added.

The secretary general of OTM further pointed out that the survival of small and medium-sized companies set up to operate in the gas projects in Cabo Delgado was at stake.

“These are companies which have contracted loans with banks, hired workers and even subcontracted to other companies, but now have an uncertain future,” Munguambe observed.

Condemning “the actions of the terrorists”, the union leader called on the government to do everything possible to end the violence in Cabo Delgado.

“The government, in cooperation with all international partners, mainly the Southern African Development Community [SADC], must be tireless in combating violence in Cabo Delgado,” he urged.

The violence unleashed more than three years ago in the province of Cabo Delgado escalated still further two weeks ago, when armed groups first attacked the village of Palma, about six kilometres from the multimillion-dollar natural gas projects.

The attacks caused dozens of deaths and forced thousands of Palma residents to flee, aggravating a humanitarian crisis that has, according to the United Nations, affected about 700,000 people in the province since the beginning of the conflict.

The Islamic State terrorist movement claimed control of the village of Palma on the border with Tanzania on Monday, but the FDS have completely retaken the village, a spokesman for the Northern Operational Theatre announced on Sunday, a claim reiterated on Wednesday by the Mozambican president.

Several countries have offered military Maputo support on the ground to combat the insurgents, but this has not happened yet, although there are reports that security companies and mercenaries are active in the area.

Source: Lusa