Thread by @WholePicture_

#BreakingNews
Liquid gas production project in Mozambique put on hold after militia attack
The Total group is reacting to the latest terrorist attack by Islamist rebels in Mozambique.

#Thread about #Mocambique #France #terrorism #total #Oil

According to reports from security circles, the French energy giant has ceased operations on site and withdrew its employees.

by @NZZAusland @NZZ
nzz.ch/international/…

Total decided to evacuate completely after surveillance images made with drones showed that supporters of the Islamist rebel group Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa were very close to the conveyor systems under construction in Afungi.

This gas plant is in the immediate vicinity of the port city and gas hub of Palma, where two weeks ago extremist fighters began to attack the 75,000 residents.

Dozens of civilians, police officers and security guards were killed - including two foreign workers. In total, none of his employees were among the victims.

On the first day of the attack, the French company wanted to resume construction work in Afungi, which had been delayed several times and had been inactive since the beginning of the year due to safety concerns.

Total stated that a suitable protection agreement had been reached with the government of Mozambique. The extremist group has repeatedly attacked villages and towns in the area over the past three years - but never before has it got so close to the mining facilities.

Before these recent developments, Mozambique was on the way to becoming one of the world's largest producers of liquefied natural gas.

Since the beginning of this decade, discoveries of massive amounts of offshore gas in the Rovuma Basin off Mozambique's north coast have promised economic support for a country where around 55 percent of the population live on less than a dollar a day.

Specifically, it is about the exploitation of around 5,000 billion cubic meters of gas - enough, according to experts, to supply Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy for twenty years.

Most of this gas is to be transported by ship in the form of liquefied natural gas to energy-hungry consumers in Asia.

When Total will return to the region is currently open. However, experts strongly assume that this will happen. "Total will want to continue this project even if it is put on hold for several months or even a year".

With its geographical proximity to Asia, the project is strategically very good. In addition, Total already has customers for the production volumes expected in the first twenty years.

"Total will now put pressure on the Mozambican government to act quickly and restore security around the gas systems".

An extermination of the Islamist group is hardly possible in the short term. However, it would be possible to build a heavily guarded security zone around the entire gas system.

A similar development can already be observed in countries such as Nigeria and Iraq.
On Sunday, army spokesman Chongo Vidigal said on state television TVM that the affected area is now safe and that a significant number of fighters have been killed.

However, there was no binding statement as to whether the army had regained full control of Palma.