Dirco: 6 South Africans repatriated from Mozambique

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Dirco: 6 South Africans repatriated from Mozambique

7:56 CAT | 31 Mar 2021

Thousands of Palma residents remained stranded on Tuesday, hiding around the besieged northern Mozambique town and scrambling to escape the area overrun by violent jihadist militants last week, sources said.

Insurgents affiliated with the Islamic State group (IS) launched a raid on the coastal town last Wednesday, ransacking buildings and murdering and beheading civilians.

Dozens have been killed in what witnesses describe as a coordinated attack, just 10 kilometres (six miles) from a multi-billion dollar gas project led by France’s Total.

Shaken survivors have since streamed into the neighbouring town of Mueda and regional capital Pemba, where they arrived via boat, foot and plane.

But sources told AFP thousands were still wandering around Palma, desperate to find refuge.

Some trudged days through surrounding forest, walking west towards Mueda and north to reach the Tanzanian border.

Hundreds more travelled to the Afungi peninsula, the site of the gas exploration project, where they gathered outside Total’s fortified complex, UN workers told AFP.

Total ferried around 1,400 people, including both gas and government workers, to Pemba on Sunday, but has since been accused of turning its back on desperate residents.

The Department of International Relations confirmed on Tuesday that six South Africans have been repatriated from volatile Palma in northern Mozambique.

Dozens of people are believed to have been killed in a siege by Islamic jihadist in the port city last week.

In a media statement, spokesperson Clayson Monyela says the evacuation was carried out by the South African Airforce.

“This follows the successful evacuation today of six more South African nationals and the repatriation of the mortal remains of the South African man who perished in the attacks on 26 March 2021.

“The evacuation was carried out by the South African Air Force. The SAAF plane flew from Mozambique to KwaZulu-Natal province and thereafter to Gauteng.”

The Department of Health conducted Covid-19 tests on the passengers on their arrival in KwaZulu-Natal.

Source: Jacaranda FM