Mozambique’s Ministry of Defence confirmed on Thursday, in a press statement, an armed attack on the village of Palma, north of the country, near the Cabo Delgado gas project.
“The defence and security forces are pursuing the enemy’s movement and are working tirelessly to restore security and order as quickly as possible,” said Colonel Omar Saranga, spokesman for the Ministry of Defence.
According to the same source, communications with Palma are disrupted, with no information so far on casualties or damage caused.
Several sources told Lusa on Wednesday that the population of Palma was abandoning the town and taking refuge in the bush, a scenario also confirmed by the Ministry of Defence.
Despite the interruption of mobile networks in the village, different sources told Lusa today they were receiving indications from the Palma region that gunfire continued during this morning in the district headquarters.
One of them indicated that, according to a statement received by satellite phone, shooting continued during the night, notably near banking institutions and a church.
In this Thursday’s press statement, Omar Saranga said that the attack carried out by armed groups started at 16:15 (14:15 in Lisbon) on Wednesday, when “terrorists attacked the village of Palma in three directions: Pundanhar – Manguna crossroads, Nhica do Rovuma road and the airfield”.
The Ministry of Defence calls for the population to “remain vigilant and serene while looking for safe spaces”, asking for collaboration with the authorities, “denouncing the terrorists and armed men”.
The statement also merited an allusion to the gas project led by Total, the largest private investment in Africa, valued at around 20 billion euros.
“The defence and security forces will do everything to ensure the security and well-being of the populations against the inhumane acts perpetrated by terrorists while continuing to ensure the protection of economic projects” and “safeguard human rights,” it concluded.
The attack on Palma happened on the day that the Mozambican government and oil company Total announced the gradual resumption of work on the Afungi industrial complex, adjacent to the town of Palma (separated by seven kilometres of land), after strengthening security conditions.
Armed violence in Cabo Delgado is causing a humanitarian crisis with almost 700,000 displaced people and more than 2,000 deaths.
Some of the incursions were claimed by the ‘jihadist’ group Islamic State between June 2019 and November 2020, but the origin of the attacks remains under debate.
