Good afternoon. Life in Cabo Delgado is getting worse. On top of the damage wrecked by Cyclone Kenneth, the insurgency appears to be escalating. There are reports of attacks on a neighbourhood of Palma town last night, which left at least 40 houses burned to the ground and villagers seeking refuge elsewhere in the town. Last week, a mini bus and a truck travelling to Palma was attacked by suspected insurgents, with one Anadarko contractor being shot in the leg.
SEE: Anadarko contractor shot in 10 May Cabo Delgado attack
Anadarko has little to say on whether it may have been too hasty restarting early works at its LNG project site. “We are aware of a recent incident that occurred in Cabo Delgado Province, but it does not appear to be project-related. We are working with the government to gain a better understanding of what happened,” a spokesperson told Zitamar today.
The escalating violence is unlikely to dampen the government’s drive to push forward with the LNG projects. This week the government approved Exxon’s Plan of Development for its 15 mtpa project.
To keep up to date on Mozambique’s gas developments in real time follow our Live Blog, which is now available on the Zitamar website, at https://zitamar.com/live-blog/ or on the Telegram app.
SEE: Mozambique gives green light for Exxon Rovuma LNG development plan
The city of Beira will host a donor conference in two weeks’ time to try and raise a total of $3.2 billion for reconstruction after Cyclones Idai and Kenneth. The government says that the vast majority of that money — more than $3 billion — is needed for central Mozambique where Cyclone Idai hit. The disparity reflects, to some extent at least, the different population densities as well as infrastructure and industry in each place — and serves to highlight the underdevelopment and remoteness of coastal Cabo Delgado where the insurgency has taken root.
SEE: Mozambique says $3.2bn needed for cyclone recovery
President Filipe Nyusi gave his first ever newspaper interview this week, to opposition newspaper Canal de Moçambique. However, his failure to address key questions over his involvement in the hidden debts, or how Frelimo has positively impacted the development of the country since independence, means his efforts are unlikely to win Renamo sympathisers over to the Frelimo cause. He could also face a new challenge from those closer to home, if Samora Machel Junior joins a new party formed by Frelimo dissidents, which has confirmed it will run a candidate in October’s presidential election.
SEE: Frelimo breakaway party to run in presidential elections
Have a great weekend.
