Page 4 - AfrOil Week 14 2021

AfrOil COMMENTARY AfrOil

Doubts raised about

Mozambique LNG’s fate

Although military forces have offered reassurances, Total has evacuated
all of its workers from its construction site on the Afungi Peninsula

UNCERTAINTY about the fate of the Mozam- to secure protection for operations, and its
bique LNG project has significantly grown over efforts have borne some fruit.
WHAT: the last week. Last month, for example, the two sides
Total has stopped all France’s Total, the leader of the consortium, reached an agreement on the establishment of
work on its LNG plant and appears to have abandoned its hope of restarting a secure zone encompassing the construction
onshore complex. work at the site on the Afungi Peninsula where site on the Afungi Peninsula and surrounding
it is building a natural gas liquefaction complex. areas, including Palma. (The zone also covered
WHY: Instead, it has withdrawn the remaining mem- Quitunda, the village where Total arranged to
Security conditions bers of its workforce from Mozambique’s north- resettle people displaced by its construction
do not appear to have ernmost province, Cabo Delgado, in the wake of project.)
stabilised since ASWJ an Islamist group’s attack on the nearby town of
began attacking Palma on Palma on March 24. Maputo’s commitments
March 24. It announced its decision in a statement Unfortunately, though, Maputo appears to be
dated March 27, saying: “The remobilisation of having difficulty upholding its commitments
WHAT NEXT: the project that was envisaged at the beginning under the agreement.
Maputo’s response to the of the week is obviously now suspended. Total The document called for Mozambique’s spe-
crisis will affect Total’s
plans for returning to has decided to reduce to a strict minimum level cial forces, known as the Defence and Security
work – and other compa- the workforce [at] the Afungi site.” Forces (FDS), to be responsible for setting up
nies’ plans for their own According to press reports, all of Total’s and maintaining the secure zone. However, FDS
gas projects. employees had departed from the site by April troops were not able to prevent Ahlu Sunnah
2. As of press time, the company had not yet said Wa-Jamo (ASWJ), the Islamist group that has
when work might resume. been working since 2017 to seize control of the
The French major has been working with northern Cabo Delgado province, from attack-
Mozambique’s government for several months ing Palma on March 24.

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