The insurgency in Mozambique could pose a serious maritime security threat in the Western Indian Ocean.
The latest information claims that Islamist militants have ambushed a convoy that was trying to rescue civilians from a hotel amid fighting in northern Mozambique.
As a result, hundreds of people fled the fighting, which began in Palma. What is more, French energy giant Total said it was forced to suspend operations at a huge gas project nearby.
As Total informed, none of its staff were killed, but the restart of the project has stopped. Describing the situation in Mozambique, Human Rights Watch said that witnesses described seeing “bodies on the streets and residents fleeing after the… fighters fired indiscriminately at people and buildings”.
Moreover, according to BBC, militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) group are behind the conflict in the predominantly Muslim region of Cabo Delgado. The fighting has left more than 2,500 people dead and 700,000 displaced.
With this rise in ecurity risk, maritime activities should be vigilant, as these risks could tranfer from the shore to sea, in the form of piracy.
This would increase the risk in the Southern African region, as well as the Mozambique Channel, from where 30% of the world’s tanker traffic passes.
