Page 12 - AfrOil Week 07 2023

AfrOil POLICY AfrOil

Mozambique LNG’s onshore plant is being built on the Afungi Peninsula (Image: TotalEnergies)

Terrorists behead Mozambican civilians

after TotalEnergies boss visits nearby site

MOZAMBIQUE ISLAMIST terrorists carried out three attacks in the Montepuez district, another group burnt
northern Mozambique, including the beheading down homes,” it wrote. “In Meluco, on the road
of two civilians, a day after the head of France’s between Macomia and Pemba, a Médecins Sans
TotalEnergies visited the area to assess the local Frontières (MSF) off-duty driver died from
security situation. wounds sustained in an attack on a public trans-
CEO Patrick Pouyanné visited Cabo Del- port vehicle he had been travelling in.”
gado, where the French super-major and its The Islamist rebellion started in October
partners are building a $20bn gas liquefaction 2017, some four months after the Italian oil
plant capable of turning out 13.1mn tonnes per company Eni signed off its $7bn, 3.4mn tpy
year (tpy) of LNG. According to a company Coral South LNG project, which makes use of
release, he visited the area on February 3 and a floating LNG (FLNG) vessel installed 50 km
later met Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi from shore. Reports say almost 5,000 people,
during an on-the-ground assessment of the con- mostly civilians, have died in the fighting thus
flict, whose intensification forced TotalEnergies far, while up to 1mn have been displaced.
to suspend work at the construction site in the After initially winning easy victories against
spring of 2021. Mozambique’s national army, the rebels have
According to the South African media outlet lost ground since July 2021, thanks to the
News24, which cited a situational report from deployment of peacekeepers from Rwanda and
the US-based Armed Conflict Location and member states of the Southern African Devel-
Event Data Project (ACLED), three main insur- opment Community (SADC). They are now
gent combat factions launched simultaneous resorting to hit-and-run tactics.
attacks in Mueda, Montepuez and Meluco on TotalEnergies announced after Pouyan-
February 4. né’s visit that it had appointed an independent
“The attacks apparently had the intention of human rights and humanitarian expert and for-
cutting off the two main highways connecting mer France ambassador to Senegal, Jean-Chris-
the north and south of Cabo Delgado province, tophe Rufin, to assess the humanitarian situation
and came just as TotalEnergies CEO Patrick in Cabo Delgado province. Rufin and his team
Pouyanné was visiting the region,” News24 will submit a report at the end of February 2023,
reported on February 10. It was quoting the the company said.
ACLED document, which covered the period “The report of this mission will be delivered
between January 30 and February 5. at the end of February and its conclusions will
Two civilians were beheaded, ACLED be shared with all Mozambique LNG’s partners,
sources claimed, adding that several were kid- [which] shall decide whether the conditions are
napped in Chapa village in the Mueda district. met for resuming project activities,” the French
“On the same day in Namoro village in major said on February 3. ™

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 07 16•February•2023