(Agence Ecofin) – The Mozambican army has been fighting since Monday the Islamist insurgents of Al Sunnah in the city of Mocimboa da Praia, near the facilities of the future liquefaction plant of Exxon Mobil. According to Bernardino Rafael, the head of the Mozambican police force, it was the Islamists who launched hostilities by attacking an army barracks in the city’s northern town early in the morning, injuring dozens of people.
“Mocimboa da Praia is currently an active combat zone. The military is doing everything it can to restore security. We ask the people to stay away from the combat zones ”said Rafael.
The standoff between the insurgents and Maputo has been going on since 2017 and has already claimed more than 900 lives. If no claim has been made by the Group, we can clearly see a desire to weaken the nascent natural gas industry. Many questions remain about the origin and real motivations of Al Sunnah.
The government, which reports very little on the situation, seems overwhelmed by these attacks and is working to hire private security companies to thwart the Islamist offensive.
Olivier de Souza
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