Witnesses reported seeing bodies on the streets after insurgents – believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State terrorist group – attacked Palma from three directions, Human Rights Watch said on Saturday.
The city is close to a large liquefied natural gas project, led by the French company Total. The attack came hours after the Mozambican government and Total announced the resumption of operations at the vast Afungi project – north of Palma – where work had been suspended since January following a series of insurgent attacks.
CNN’s video Thursday shows helicopters – flown by government-run military contractors – passing over a hotel cabin in an apparent effort to secure an escape corridor for dozens of people who had fled there as the attack unfolded.
Among the people seen in the film in the hotel complex, at least 20 appeared to be foreign workers.
In another CNN video, a Mozambican who was also stranded in a hotel in Palma described the situation as “critical”, saying “we have no food, we only have water”.
In the video recorded on Thursday, he said: “We have been attacked since yesterday … We have been under crossfire for 24 hours.
“We do not know how we will get out of here. We will be evacuated, but we do not know when, at what time, how and by whom,” he added.
“The helicopters surround the Amarula Hotel area to make sure the roads are free to reach the beach, but as you can hear, we don’t know if this will be possible. The situation is critical. We have no food. We only have water.” in the background as he spoke.
The Portuguese Foreign Ministry has confirmed that one of its citizens was injured in a rescue operation in the region, the Portuguese news agency LUSA informed on Saturday.
A journalist working with CNN in Mozambique said that at least some of those caught were able to reach a convoy in Pemba on Friday.
Dewa Mavhinga, director of South Africa at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said the militants “shot at civilians in their homes and on the streets of Palma as they tried to flee for their lives.”
HRW said it reached several civilians by phone before communications with the city were cut off on Thursday.
A witness quoted that people were running and shouting “Al-Shabaab is here … It’s Al-Shabaab … Kill everyone.”
The insurgents are known locally as “Shabaab”, but have no ties to the Somali group of the same name. The full name of the group is Ahl al-Sunnah wa al Jamma’ah (ASWJ) and he officially joined the self-proclaimed province of Islamic State last year. Earlier this month, the United States designated the group a terrorist organization called “ISIS-Mozambique.”
Two hotel workers told HRW that gunmen fired on people and buildings, including the hotel.
An audio recording received by CNN from someone at the hotel on Thursday also included heavy gunfire.
The Mozambican Defense Ministry said on Thursday that an army operation was underway to restore security in Palma, but did not provide any further updates.
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. On Friday, a security source with direct knowledge of the events told CNN that Mozambican militants are probably still operating in the area.
The source said fierce fighting between the insurgents and Mozambican forces and police lasted for hours, with private contractors offering air engagements by helicopter to push the insurgent forces out of the city.
The insurgents attacked the military and police installations and robbed two banks in the city on Wednesday night and set them on fire, the source said.
“Careful planning” by insurgents
Jasmine Opperman, a security analyst who writes a weekly summary of events in Cabo Delgado, said the attack demonstrated “meticulous planning” by insurgents.
Even before the assault on Palma, the city was inaccessible on the road due to insecurity along the route south, leading to food shortages in the area.
Alexandre Raymakers, senior analyst in Africa at Verisk Maplecroft, told CNN that the attack on Palma was a “major obstacle for the government, especially after the Total announcement,” and seriously questioned their ability to secure LNG projects vital to prosperity. long-term financial situation of the country. “
Raymakers said that “Total’s decision to resume construction depends on Maputo guaranteeing a 25-kilometer security perimeter around the Afungi peninsula, which would include Palma.”
In August last year, the ASWJ staged a large-scale attack on the port of Mocimboa da Praia and continues to occupy the area, despite government efforts to recover it.
The ASWJ has made large parts of Mozambique’s northernmost province, Cabo Delgado, inaccessible and unsafe as its attacks have increased in coverage and sophistication since 2017.
Raymakers says that “the capacity, command and control of the ASWJ war and general confidence have grown enormously in the last year.”
Fighting between the group and government forces has left more than 1,500 civilians dead and more than 600,000 displaced, according to HRW.
Tim Lister reported from Spain, Estacio Valoi reported from Maputo, Mozambique and Isa Soares reported from London. David McKenzie contributed to the reporting.