Page 12 - AfrOil Week 11 2021

AfrOil POLICY AfrOil

ASWJ attacks have led Total to evacuate staff from the Mozambique LNG construction site (Image: Anadarko)

US government labels Mozambique’s

ASWJ as a terrorist organisation

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

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 11 17•March•2021