Mozambique: Total evacuates some of its staff from a gas project in Cabo Delgado
Mozambican soldiers in the province of Cabo Delgado, in the grip of a jihadist insurrection.
(Illustrative photo) © AP - Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi
Text by: RFI Follow
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The French oil and gas producer is engaged in a huge liquefied gas project on the Mozambican coast.
He invokes the jihadist attacks as well as the Covid-19 pandemic in the area to explain the reduction in its workforce.
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The province of Cabo Delgado has been hit by a bloody jihadist insurgency and in recent days, Islamist insurgents have launched attacks just a few kilometers from the site operated by Total.
Thus, on Friday, if the huge site where the French is building a gas liquefaction plant was not directly attacked, the neighboring village of Quitupo was the scene of a shootout between the security forces and the jihadists.
These insurgents, who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, have been gradually approaching the facilities for several weeks.
At least four attacks were confirmed during the month of December within an area of a few kilometers.
The gas project, which weighs 16.5 billion euros and in which Total holds a quarter of the shares, is of vital importance for Mozambique, which could, thanks to it, become one of the major producers of liquefied gas in the country. world.
Still, peace should return to the Cabo Delgdo region and the north of the country.
Started in 2017, the Islamist insurgency has left more than 2,500 dead and displaced 570,000 villagers.
For the time being, according to Agence France-Presse, Total is trying to relocate a hundred of its employees in the capital, Maputo.
Contacted by RFI, the French group also specifies that the epidemic situation played a role in the decision to evacuate some of the staff.
In fact, it was on the site that the first cases of Covid-19 in Mozambique were detected last April.
And since December, new cases have appeared in the region.
► See also: In Mozambique, the jihadists threaten Total's gas project at $ 60 billion
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