Militants seize key port in northern Mozambique

SANAA, Aug. 13 (YPA) – Islamic militants seized a key port in northern Mozambique on Wednesday, following days of renewed fighting in the region, media sources said.

According to the “Moz24Horas” website, “the terrorists took control of the port of Mocimboa da Praia at dawn,” while a military source confirmed to AFP that the port “fell.”

The military source said that the gunmen hit one of the boat  with a rocket-propelled grenade.

“I am told that the rebels drowned one of the boats purchased by the late President Armando Guebuza,” he said, adding that “the situation is complicated.”

Several media outlets reported that the group that captured the port was linked to Daesh ( ISIS).

Mocimboa da Praia lies less than 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Afungi peninsula where a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, one of Africa’s biggest single investment projects, is located.

The port is currently the main gateway for the gas project..

Since 2017, northern Mozambique has been facing a radical insurgency that has killed more than 1,000 people and further complicated the country’s plans to invest natural gas reserves in its continental shelf.

E.M