Defence Minister says attack on Palma does not jeopardise gas exploration – Watch

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Defence Minister says attack on Palma does not jeopardise gas exploration – Watch

3:05 CAT | 16 Apr 2021

Screen grab: Miramar

Defence Minister of Mozambique Jaime Neto said on Thursday that the attack on the town of Palma would not jeopardise the natural gas exploration project led by the oil major Total in Afungi, in Cabo Delgado province.

“We believe that the gas project is not threatened, and will continue, because the Defence and Security Forces are doing everything to ensure the safety of the region and other parts of the country,” Minister Neto said on the sidelines of the opening of a mobile bakery at the Mozambique Civic Service headquarters in Maputo.

The town of Palma, about six kilometres from the Total natural gas project, suffered an armed attack on March 24, which authorities say resulted in the death of dozens of people, the destruction of infrastructure and the flight of hundreds.

According to Jaime Neto, government forces are on the ground and deploying to ensure security conditions necessary for state services to be reactivated.

“Right now, our force is present wherever there is instability and working to defend our country and our citizens,” the minister added.

Watch the TV Miramar report below.

According to the most recent report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a total of 18,661 people, almost half of them children, fled Palma following the attack, taking refuge in the districts of Nangade, Montepuez, Mueda and Pemba (the provincial capital).

After the attack on the town of Palma, oil major Total removed its remaining personnel from the gas project in northern Mozambique.

The March 24 attack coincided with the announcement of a gradual resumption of works after a first withdrawal of personnel in January, following another attack nearby.

The Total-led gas extraction project is the largest private investment underway in Africa, estimated at between €20 and 25 billion. It is supported by multiple international financial institutions, and includes the construction of industrial units and a new ‘gas city’ between Palma and the Afungi peninsula.

The first export of liquefied gas is scheduled for 2024.

Violence in northern districts of Cabo Delgado province began three years ago, causing a humanitarian crisis with nearly 700,000 people displaced, according to United Nations (UN) agencies, and more than 2,000 deaths, according to Lusa news agency.

Source: Lusa / Miramar