MAPUTO (Reuters) &#8211; Militant group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack in northern Mozambique just south of the site of gas projects worth $60 billion being developed by the likes of Exxon Mobil and Total. 



Insurgents attacked the town of Mocimboa da Praia on Monday, briefly occupying some areas and its army barracks before being pushed out on Tuesday, Mozambique authorities and security analysts said. 



Islamic State claimed the attack through its Amaq news agency, which said dozens of soldiers and police officers had been killed or injured. The government has not provided a figure of dead or injured. 



“Military sources told Amaq that Islamic State fighters attacked five army and police barracks in the town,” the agency said in Tuesday’s report, adding that weapons, ammunition and other equipment had also been seized. 



Government spokesman Filimao Suaze said the retreating attackers had left a “trail of destruction and dead bodies”, and that security had been beefed up in the area. 



While Islamic State has claimed a spate of recent attacks in the northernmost province of Cabo Delgado, home to the gas developments following one of the biggest gas finds in a decade off its coast, Tuesday’s claim of responsibility is the first matched by rare official confirmation of an attack. 



The government does not acknowledge such claims, however. 



Mocimboa da Praia, 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of the gas projects, previously served as the main airport for international workers flying into the developments and its port is used for cargo deliveries. 



Exxon and Total did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment sent outside usual business hours. 



NGOs say the government must do more to protect the mostly poor civilians in the area and step up transparency. 



“This violent escalation in Mocimboa da Praia is the culmination of a tragic failure by the Mozambican government to protect the people in this volatile area,” said Muleya Mwananyanda, rights group Amnesty’s deputy director for east and southern Africa.



“For almost three years, armed groups have been attacking villagers around Cabo Delgado, causing untold human suffering without being held accountable.” 



The organisation said about 350 people have been killed since 2017, but many estimate a much higher figure. More than 900 people have been reported killed, says a non-government body, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project. 



(Reporting by Manuel Mucari in Maputo and Emma Rumney in Johannesburg; Additional reporting by Nayera Abdallah in Cairo; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)



This article was first published on Reuters Africa <a href="https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKBN21C0TY-OZATP">https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKBN21C0TY-OZATP</a> and is republished with its permission.

Islamic State claims Mozambique attack close to gas projects

MAPUTO (Reuters) &#8211; U.S. energy giant Exxon Mobil will finalise its investment in Mozambique&#8217;s lucrative liquefied natural gas fields in a signing ceremony on Tuesday, the African country&#8217;s government said via state television. 



Exxon&#8217;s Rovuma LNG project, jointly operated with Italian firm Eni, will produce, liquefy and sell natural gas from three reservoirs located in the Area 4 block offshore Mozambique&#8217;s northern coast. 



Exxon estimates the fields, which are due to come on line in 2024, will cost $30 billion to develop. 



State television news channel TVM on Sunday said the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy would host a signing ceremony with Exxon and other firms in the capital Maputo on Tuesday. 



Exxon has said it expects 17,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) per year during the production phase, with the signing of an initial investment decision paving the way for the massive infrastructure project to begin. 



The gas fields are located off the coast of the northern Cabo Delgado province, which for the last two years has seen intensifying attacks on surrounding communities and government buildings by an extreme Islamist militant group.



In February Texas-based petroleum firm Anadarko said one worker was killed and several others injured in two related attacks in the Cabo Delgado area where it is building a 17,000-acre liquefaction complex. 



(Reporting by Manuel Mucari; writing by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

US gas giant Exxon to finalise LNG investment in Mozambique next week, what you need to know

Tife Owolabi, Alexis Akwagyiram &amp; Anamesere Igboeroteonwu | YENAGOA
A Nigerian labour union that had called for the shutdown of all Exxon Mobil Corp facilities in the Niger Delta has suspended its strike at its Rivers state branch in the oil production hub, two union representatives said on Saturday.
Reuters had been unable to verify independently whether members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) had shut the company&#8217;s facilities in the region on Friday, and oil industry sources said there was no impact on production.
<blockquote>&#8220;The strike has been suspended,&#8221; said Chika Onuegbu, who represents PENGASSAN in Rivers state.</blockquote>
Onuegbu and a senior PENGASSAN official, who also said the strike in Rivers state had been suspended but did not want to be identified, said the move followed a ruling by an industrial arbitration panel.
PENGASSAN&#8217;S chairman in the Port Harcourt zone, Azubike M Azubike, later said the industrial action had not been suspended elsewhere in the country.
<blockquote>&#8220;The strike is still on nationwide, especially in Exxon Mobil facilities across Nigeria. We are still talking with Exxon Mobil management,&#8221; he said.</blockquote>
Nigerian labour unions have held a number of strikes in the last few months over the dismissal of oil industry workers.
The latest industrial action was in protest at the sacking of 150 workers in December, of which 82 were PENGASSAN members.
Strikes by Exxon workers in Nigeria at the end of last year did affect output, delaying loadings by weeks.
(Reporting by Tife Owolabi, Alexis Akwagyiram in Lagos and Anamesere Igboeroteonwu in Onitsha; Editing by Dale Hudson, Bernard Orr)
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Islamic State claims Mozambique attack close to gas projects

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Islamic State claims Mozambique attack close to gas projects

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