The African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat on Thursday condemned the terrorist attacks in Mozambique and the recent violence that rocked the Palma town, a gas hub in the province of Cabo Delgado, reported Anadolu Agency.
Armed fighters attacked the northern Mozambican coastal town of Palma on March 24, killing civilians, ransacking buildings, and forcing thousands to seek safety in the surrounding forest.
The Mozambican Oil and Gas Chamber claims last week’s attack was specifically aimed at undermining the $23 billion Mozambique liquefied natural gas project led by Total.
The armed group Al-Shabaab, which has no established links to Somalia’s armed militant group, has wreaked havoc in northern Mozambique since late 2017, killing hundreds, displacing communities, and capturing towns.
In a statement, Mahamat expressed concern over the presence of international terrorist groups currently operating in Africa’s southern part. He called for urgent and coordinated regional and international action to address the new threat to global security.
“The African Union Commission through its relevant organs stands ready to support the region and its mechanisms to jointly address this urgent threat to regional and continental peace and security,” read the statement.
Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi, however, downplayed the Palma attack as not the biggest, despite its unprecedented proximity to Africa’s single biggest investment project.
“Let us not lose focus, let us not be disturbed,” he told reporters at an event in Maputo on Wednesday.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) also held emergency talks to discuss the violence. Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi assured regional help but gave no details.
On Wednesday, the United Nations said more than 8,100 people have safely made their way out of outside the Palma town a week after it was besieged by jihadists. However, thousands of others still remained stranded in the town.
The Mozambique government has sent military troops to the town to recapture the city.
