(4 minutes read)
· In a significant development, the UN agency World Food Programme (WFP) has suspended evacuation flights from northern Mozambique over security concerns following deadly attacks in the town of Palma, killing several people and displacing several thousand people
· The French energy giant Total, which has operations in Cabo Delgado has suspended gas operations at a nearby site of an offshore gas project
· The WFP has been evacuating most vulnerable people affected by the violence to the capital
In a significant development, the UN agency World Food Programme (WFP) has suspended evacuation flights from northern Mozambique over security concerns following deadly attacks in the town of Palma, killing several people and displacing several thousand people. The attacks were carried out by a group of suspected Islamist militants and viewed as a sort of Islamist insurgency that has considerably affected the gas rich Cabo Delgado province since 2017.
The French energy giant Total, which has operations in Cabo Delgado has suspended gas operations at a nearby site of an offshore gas project. The project, worth billions of dollars, is billed to generate billions as foreign exchange to the Southern African country. Recently, it has announced resumption of work in the stalled project.
The WFP has been evacuating most vulnerable people affected by the violence to the capital. But now has been forced to suspend the operations due to security threat. WFP has been helping people to cross over to safer places through ferries, which take close to 24 hours.
Armed groups attacked Palma, a port city of 75,000 inhabitants, killing dozens of civilians, police and soldiers on March 24. Over 23,000 people are still in the Afungi region, under military protection, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). WFP managed to evacuate 380 people mostly women and children. There have been reports about chronic malnutrition for many years. It is estimated that 950,000 people are food insecure.
The African Union suggested steps for coordinated international action to address the situation. The regional bloc- the SADC- held emergency talks on how to address the situation.
