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Vila de Palma, in the north of the Cabo Delgado province, was the target of a strong surprise attack on Wednesday, attributed to the group of extremists that has terrorized northern Mozambique since October 2017.
The attack, which began between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. in Mozambique (2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. in Portugal), occurred a day after the French oil company Total and the Mozambican government announced the gradual return to activity of the facilities of gas liquefaction in the peninsula. by Afungi.
Expresso collected reports that violent clashes between the group and the armed forces continued throughout the night. There are no details on the clashes, as communications were disrupted during the attacks.
British journalist Joseph Hanlon, who writes about the conflict, reports in his Newsletter that there were coordinated attacks by various groups, affecting the suburbs and a nearby village. The clashes led to the blocking of the road from Palma to Afungi.
Civilians flee by boat
According to information that still needs confirmation, the insurgents first attacked the local police station, before heading to the town of Palma. There they will have carried out looting and destruction of state institutions.
The shootings forced the population to flee into the forest. Other civilians reportedly used boats to withdraw from the village.
Total had announced in a statement yesterday that the Mozambique LNG Project would progressively resume construction activities at the project site in Afungi, following the adoption of additional safety measures at the site.
Government Enhanced Security
The Government had declared that the area, within a 25 km perimeter around the project, was a special operation zone. A comprehensive roadmap has been defined and implemented, which includes strengthening security infrastructures and public security forces.
This would allow a “gradual mobilization of the project workforce and the resumption of the construction activities of the LNG plant and the community development programs carried out by the project.” This attack will force a retreat.
The district of Palma was considered the safest in the north of Cabo Delgado, as there was a greater concentration of the armed forces, including branches of the special forces. Access to the village was only done by light aircraft, because the land route was already cut off.
