Latest news with #IslamicState-linked
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
South Africa Proposes 10-Year Purchase Deal For U.S. LNG
South Africa has proposed to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States over a 10-year period as the country looks to secure a trade deal with the Trump administration, a ministerial statement by the South African government has revealed. South Africa plans to import 75 to 100 million cubic metres of LNG per year from the U.S., the world's top LNG exporter. According to Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, South Africa's Minister in the Presidency, the deal would 'unlock approximately $900 million to $1.2 billion in trade per annum and $9 billion – $12 billion for 10 years based on applicable price.' According to Ntshavheni, U.S. LNG will not replace South Africa's current supplies but rather complement them. Ntshavheni, South Africa's cabinet spokesperson, said her country would also explore areas of cooperation with the U.S. in various technologies, including fracking, to help unlock the country's gas sector. South Africa's Karoo region holds significant gas reserves, however, the country has a moratorium on shale gas exploration over environmental grounds. The proposed trade package also includes a quota of 40,000 vehicles per year to be exported duty-free from South Africa; duty-free supplies of automotive components sourced from South Africa; 385 million kilograms of duty-free steel per year and 132 million kg of duty-free aluminium per year. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa is credited with proposing the LNG deal during his visit to the White House a week ago, when U.S. President Donald Trump blamed him for 'genocide' against white farmers and controversial government policies, such as black economic empowerment and land reforms. Ramaphosa had hoped to use the meeting to mend fences with the Trump administration after Trump cancelled aid to South Africa, accusing the government of committing 'egregious actions.' South Africa-born billionaire and a Trump super-ally, Elon Musk, has condemned the South African leadership for supporting 'openly racist policies.'Musk is considered to be a big reason behind the animosity towards South Africa by the Trump administration, where white South Africans disproportionately control most of the country's land and wealth despite constituting just 7% of the population. Back in March, Marco Rubio, U.S. secretary of state, declared South Africa's ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, persona non grata and expelled him from the country. The administration has criticised South Africa's genocide court case against Israel. South Africa currently imports most of its gas from Mozambique via pipeline, with Mozambique's $20 billion natural gas and LNG project facing repeated delays. The project was halted in 2021 due to violence in the Cabo Delgado region, specifically an attack by Islamic State-linked militants. TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE) is currently seeking approval from the Mozambican government to lift a force majeure declaration on the project, and hopes to start production by 2029. Total is the project's main operator with a 26.5% stake, followed by Japan's Mitsui & Co with 20%, while Mozambique's state-owned ENH owns a 15% stake. Despite the violence, the project is viewed as crucial for the region's economy and Mozambique's economy, with the Southern African country projected to earn US$23 billion from the Coral Norte project over three decades. The LNG plant will liquefy 13.12 million metric tons of natural gas per year (tpy). Whereas 18 African countries produce some natural gas, Algeria, Egypt, and Nigeria account for nearly 90% of all gas produced on the continent. Nigeria has the continent's largest gas reserves at 206.5 trillion cubic feet. The oil and gas sector in Africa's most populous country is responsible for 95% of the country's foreign exchange earnings and 20% of GDP. Source: LNG Industry Currently, Africa has several big LNG projects in progress or awaiting FID (Final Investment Decision). These include Rovuma LNG, Coral North FLNG, Mozambique LNG, and Tanzania LNG. These four projects will be instrumental in ramping up the continent's LNG export capacity over the next decade. The Coral South FLNG is a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility located offshore Mozambique, specifically in the southern part of Area 4 of the Rovuma Basin. It is designed to process 450 billion cubic meters of natural gas from the Coral reservoir, liquefying 3.4 million metric tons annually for export. The facility is the first FLNG deployed in deep waters on the African continent. Meanwhile, Rovuma LNG is a 12-train project with a total capacity of 18 million tpy; Mozambique LNG has a total export capacity of 43 million tpy while Tanzania LNG will provide 10 million tpy worth of capacity. By Alex Kimani for More Top Reads From this article on
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Jihadist attacks hit Mozambique
MAPUTO: A series of attacks in northern Mozambique this month point to a resurgence of violence by Islamic State-linked militants as energy giant TotalEnergies prepares to resume a major gas project, analysts say. The group terrorized northern Mozambique for years before brazenly vowing in 2020 to turn the northern gas-rich Cabo Delgado province into a caliphate. TotalEnergies paused a multi-billion-dollar liquefied natural gas project there in 2021 following a wave of bloody raids that forced more than a million people to flee. The insurgency was pushed to the background by a months-long unrest that followed elections in October. But there has been a new wave of violence. In May, the Islamists attacked two military installations, claiming to kill 11 soldiers in the first and 10 in the second. A security expert confirmed the first attack and put the toll at 17. There was no comment from the Mozambican security forces. Dramatic strikes There were two dramatic strikes earlier — a raid on a wildlife reserve in the neighboring Niassa province late April killed at least two rangers, while an ambush in Cabo Delgado claimed the lives of three Rwandan soldiers. Also unusual was a thwarted attack on a Russian oceanographic vessel in early May that the crew said in a distress message was launched by 'pirates', according to local media. 'Clearly there is a cause and effect because some actions correspond exactly to important announcements in the gas area,' said Fernando Lima, a researcher with the Cabo Ligado conflict observatory which monitors violence in Mozambique, referring to the $4.7 billion funding approved in mid-March by the US Export-Import Bank for the long-delayed gas project. 'The insurgents are seeing more vehicles passing by with white project managers,' said Jean-Marc Balencie of the French-based political and security risk group Attika Analysis. 'There's more visible activity in the region and that's an incentive for attacks'. 'Propaganda effect' Conflict tracker ACLED recorded at least 80 attacks in the first four months of the year. The uptick was partly due to the end of the rainy season which meant roads were once again passable, it said. TotalEnergies chief executive Patrick Pouyanne said last Friday that the security situation had 'greatly improved' although there were 'sporadic incidents'. The attack that stalled the TotalEnergies project in 2021 occurred in the port town of Palma and lasted several days, sending thousands fleeing into the forest. ACLED estimated that more than 800 civilians and combatants were killed while independent journalist Alex Perry reported after an investigation that more than 1,400 were dead or missing. Rwandan forces deployed alongside the Mozambique military soon afterwards, their number increasing to around 5,000, based on Rwandan military statements. The concentration of forces in Cabo Delgado 'allows insurgents to easily conduct operations in Niassa province,' said a Mozambican military officer on condition of anonymity. The raid on the tourist wildlife lodge straddling Cabo Delgado and Niassa provinces was for 'propaganda effect', said Lima, as it grabbed more international media attention than hits on local villages that claim the lives of locals. Strikes on civilians, with several cases of decapitation reported, often fall under the radar because of the remoteness of the impoverished region and official silence. 'More than 25,000 people have been displaced in Mozambique within a few weeks,' the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said last week. This was in addition to the 1.3 million the UN said in November had been displaced since the conflict began in 2017. 'The renewed intensity of the conflict affects regions previously considered rather stable,' said UNHCR's Mozambique representative Xavier Creach. In Niassa, for example, about 2,085 people fled on foot after an attack on Mbamba village late April where women reported witnessing beheadings. More than 6,000 people have died in the conflict since it erupted, according to Acled. — AFP
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Jihadist attacks hit Mozambique as Total readies to resume gas project
A series of attacks in northern Mozambique this month point to a resurgence of violence by Islamic State-linked militants as energy giant TotalEnergies prepares to resume a major gas project, analysts say. The group terrorised northern Mozambique for years before brazenly vowing in 2020 to turn the northern gas-rich Cabo Delgado province into a caliphate. TotalEnergies paused a multi-billion-dollar liquefied natural gas project there in 2021 following a wave of bloody raids that forced more than a million people to flee. The insurgency was pushed to the background by a months-long unrest that followed elections in October. But there has been a new wave of violence. In May, the Islamists attacked two military installations, claiming to kill 11 soldiers in the first and 10 in the second. A security expert confirmed the first attack and put the toll at 17. There was no comment from the Mozambican security forces. - Dramatic strikes - There were two dramatic strikes earlier -- a raid on a wildlife reserve in the neighbouring Niassa province late April killed at least two rangers, while an ambush in Cabo Delgado claimed the lives of three Rwandan soldiers. Also unusual was a thwarted attack on a Russian oceanographic vessel in early May that the crew said in a distress message was launched by "pirates", according to local media. "Clearly there is a cause and effect because some actions correspond exactly to important announcements in the gas area," said Fernando Lima, a researcher with the Cabo Ligado conflict observatory which monitors violence in Mozambique, referring to the $4.7 billion funding approved in mid-March by the US Export-Import Bank for the long-delayed gas project. "The insurgents are seeing more vehicles passing by with white project managers," said Jean-Marc Balencie of the French-based political and security risk group Attika Analysis. "There's more visible activity in the region and that's an incentive for attacks". - 'Propaganda effect' - Conflict tracker ACLED recorded at least 80 attacks in the first four months of the year. The uptick was partly due to the end of the rainy season which meant roads were once again passable, it said. TotalEnergies chief executive Patrick Pouyanne said last Friday that the security situation had "greatly improved" although there were "sporadic incidents". The attack that stalled the TotalEnergies project in 2021 occurred in the port town of Palma and lasted several days, sending thousands fleeing into the forest. ACLED estimated that more than 800 civilians and combatants were killed while independent journalist Alex Perry reported after an investigation that more than 1,400 were dead or missing. Rwandan forces deployed alongside the Mozambique military soon afterwards, their number increasing to around 5,000, based on Rwandan military statements. The concentration of forces in Cabo Delgado "allows insurgents to easily conduct operations in Niassa province," said a Mozambican military officer on condition of anonymity. The raid on the tourist wildlife lodge straddling Cabo Delgado and Niassa provinces was for "propaganda effect", said Lima, as it grabbed more international media attention than hits on local villages that claim the lives of locals. Strikes on civilians, with several cases of decapitation reported, often fall under the radar because of the remoteness of the impoverished region and official silence. "More than 25,000 people have been displaced in Mozambique within a few weeks," the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said last week. This was in addition to the 1.3 million the UN said in November had been displaced since the conflict began in 2017. "The renewed intensity of the conflict affects regions previously considered rather stable," said UNHCR's Mozambique representative Xavier Creach. In Niassa, for example, about 2,085 people fled on foot after an attack on Mbamba village late April where women reported witnessing beheadings. More than 6,000 people have died in the conflict since it erupted, according to Acled. strs-clv/ho-br/ach
Int'l Business Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Jihadist Attacks Hit Mozambique As Total Readies To Resume Gas Project
A series of attacks in northern Mozambique this month point to a resurgence of violence by Islamic State-linked militants as energy giant TotalEnergies prepares to resume a major gas project, analysts say. The group terrorised northern Mozambique for years before brazenly vowing in 2020 to turn the northern gas-rich Cabo Delgado province into a caliphate. TotalEnergies paused a multi-billion-dollar liquefied natural gas project there in 2021 following a wave of bloody raids that forced more than a million people to flee. The insurgency was pushed to the background by a months-long unrest that followed elections in October. But there has been a new wave of violence. In May, the Islamists attacked two military installations, claiming to kill 11 soldiers in the first and 10 in the second. A security expert confirmed the first attack and put the toll at 17. There was no comment from the Mozambican security forces. There were two dramatic strikes earlier -- a raid on a wildlife reserve in the neighbouring Niassa province late April killed at least two rangers, while an ambush in Cabo Delgado claimed the lives of three Rwandan soldiers. Also unusual was a thwarted attack on a Russian oceanographic vessel in early May that the crew said in a distress message was launched by "pirates", according to local media. "Clearly there is a cause and effect because some actions correspond exactly to important announcements in the gas area," said Fernando Lima, a researcher with the Cabo Ligado conflict observatory which monitors violence in Mozambique, referring to the $4.7 billion funding approved in mid-March by the US Export-Import Bank for the long-delayed gas project. "The insurgents are seeing more vehicles passing by with white project managers," said Jean-Marc Balencie of the French-based political and security risk group Attika Analysis. "There's more visible activity in the region and that's an incentive for attacks". Conflict tracker ACLED recorded at least 80 attacks in the first four months of the year. The uptick was partly due to the end of the rainy season which meant roads were once again passable, it said. TotalEnergies chief executive Patrick Pouyanne said last Friday that the security situation had "greatly improved" although there were "sporadic incidents". The attack that stalled the TotalEnergies project in 2021 occurred in the port town of Palma and lasted several days, sending thousands fleeing into the forest. ACLED estimated that more than 800 civilians and combatants were killed while independent journalist Alex Perry reported after an investigation that more than 1,400 were dead or missing. Rwandan forces deployed alongside the Mozambique military soon afterwards, their number increasing to around 5,000, based on Rwandan military statements. The concentration of forces in Cabo Delgado "allows insurgents to easily conduct operations in Niassa province," said a Mozambican military officer on condition of anonymity. The raid on the tourist wildlife lodge straddling Cabo Delgado and Niassa provinces was for "propaganda effect", said Lima, as it grabbed more international media attention than hits on local villages that claim the lives of locals. Strikes on civilians, with several cases of decapitation reported, often fall under the radar because of the remoteness of the impoverished region and official silence. "More than 25,000 people have been displaced in Mozambique within a few weeks," the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said last week. This was in addition to the 1.3 million the UN said in November had been displaced since the conflict began in 2017. "The renewed intensity of the conflict affects regions previously considered rather stable," said UNHCR's Mozambique representative Xavier Creach. In Niassa, for example, about 2,085 people fled on foot after an attack on Mbamba village late April where women reported witnessing beheadings. More than 6,000 people have died in the conflict since it erupted, according to Acled. Rwandan soldiers were deployed to quell the violence in northern Mozambique AFP More than 1.3 million have been displaced in Mozambique since the conflict began AFP
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Ten dead in ‘brutal' attacks by Isis-linked militants on Mozambique wildlife reserve
One of Africa's largest protected areas has been shaken by a series of attacks by Islamic State-linked extremists, which have left at least 10 people dead. Conservationists in Niassa reserve, Mozambique, say decades of work to rebuild populations of lions, elephants and other keystone species are being jeopardised, as conservation operations grind to a halt. On 29 April, militants attacked buildings in Niassa, killing two anti-poaching scouts. Two more scouts are missing and another seriously injured. The attack, which was later claimed by Islamic State-Mozambique, came 10 days after another raid on a nearby safari camp in which two people were beheaded and six soldiers were killed. A village of 2,000 people has been displaced by the violence and all conservation work has been suspended in Niassa reserve, according to local groups. On Monday, wildlife and community organisations warned that the violence is risking more than 20 years of conservation work in the area. 'The worst thing about these kind of attacks, which is kind of the point, is the fear factor. The attacks are brutal: the two carpenters that were killed at the safari camp were beheaded. There is enormous fear from communities from the brutality of the attack,' said Colleen Begg, managing director of Niassa Carnivore Project, whose headquarters were attacked in the 29 April raid. Begg said that the suspension of tourism activities could affect the area for several years. 'Niassa reserve is special because of its size. It is the size of Switzerland. There are very few places like this in Africa with no fences, with large populations of lions, elephants and animals that require a lot of range. It's one of these beautiful wilderness areas. We've been trying to figure out how to make it a world heritage site and all of that is now at risk because of insecurity,' she said. At 4.2m hectares (10m acres), Niassa is regarded as one of Africa's most important wildlife refuges. It is home to as many as 1,000 lions, 350 critically endangered African wild dogs, and recovering populations of elephants, buffalo and other keystone species. Related: The secret bond that helped two captive women survive Mozambique's Islamists Islamic State Mozambique, known locally as al-Shabaab although not linked to the group in Somalia, emerged in 2017 and has displaced more than 1 million people in northern Mozambique as its activities have expanded. While there was a crackdown on the group after an attack on the city of Palma that resulted in the suspension of a major gas project by TotalEnergies, the militants remain active in the country's northernmost province. Nine conservation and safari camps have been abandoned since the attacks, with one destroyed by the Islamist group. Begg said that urgent support was needed to restore peace in the region and prevent further loss of life. The Mozambican army is in pursuit of the IS-linked group. 'Obviously, the first task is to solve the problems with the insurgents and get them out of Niassa. If we cannot create peace, people can't walk to collect honey, they can't go to their fields, they can't harvest. It's impossible for conservationists. No tourists will come. It is devastating,' Begg said. Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow the biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield in the Guardian app for more nature coverage
