Page 10 - GLNG Week 11 2021
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GLNG AFRICA GLNG
US government identifies Mozambique’s
ASWJ as a terrorist organisation
POLICY THE US Department of State has designated training to Mozambique’s armed forces, known
Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jamo (ASWJ), the Islamist as Forças Armadas de Defesa de Moçambique
group that has staged attacks in areas near (FADM). The US troops who will participate
the onshore Mozambique LNG complex in this programme, which will be known as
being built by Total (France), as a terrorist Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET),
organisation. are already present in the African country, the
In a statement dated March 10, the depart- embassy said. They will supply medical and
ment identified ASWJ, which is trying to seize communications equipment as well as training
control of Mozambique’s northern Cabo Del- services, it added.
gado Province, as a foreign terrorist organisa- It did not say whether this programme would
tion, as per the provisions of the Immigration have any effect on the security agreement that
and Nationality Act. It also named the group Mozambique’s government struck with Total
and its leader, Abu Yassir Hassan, as specially earlier this year. The two sides came to terms
designated global terrorists (SDGTs), in line with after the French company evacuated about 9,000
Executive Order 13224. workers from the Mozambique LNG construc- The US Marines
The statement did not make any direct refer- tion site on the Afungi Peninsula in the wake of
ence to the Mozambique LNG project. Instead, a series of ASWJ attacks. had agreed to
it highlighted ASWJ’s ties to the Islamic State Total serves as the operator of the Mozam-
(Daesh) and referred to the group as ISIS-Mo- bique LNG consortium, and its subsidiary Total provide counter-
zambique. It also noted that ASWJ attacks had E&P Mozambique Area 1 has a 26.5% stake in
resulted in the displacement of nearly 670,000 the project. The remaining equity is divided insurgency
residents of northern Mozambique and the between two Japanese companies, Mitsui and training to
death of more than 1,300 civilians since October Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. (JOG-
2017. MEC), which have 20%; Mozambique’s national Mozambique’s
Additionally, it pointed out that ASWJ had oil company (NOC) ENH, with 15%; Bharat
been “responsible for orchestrating a series of Petroleum (India), with 10%; ONGC-Videsh Ltd armed forces.
large-scale and sophisticated attacks resulting (OVL) (India), with 10%; Beas Rovuma Energy
in the capture of the strategic port of Mocimboa Mozambique (a 60:40 joint venture between
da Praia.” These attacks were significant not just OVL and Oil India Ltd (OIL)), with 10%; and
because of their impact on the local economy but PTTEP (Thailand), with 8.5%.
also because Mocimboa da Praia had been the The partners aim to begin gas production at
main port of entry for imports of equipment and Area 1, which lies offshore within the Rovuma
other goods designated for use at the Mozam- basin, in 2024. They are due to bring the first
bique LNG complex. train of their LNG plant on line around the
In related news, the US Embassy in Maputo same time. This facility will eventually have
revealed earlier this week that the US Marines two production trains, each with a capacity of
had agreed to provide counter-insurgency 6.44mn tpy.
P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 11 19•March•2021
