The Mozambican army has been battling insurgents since 2017. Total on Friday abandoned its installations on Afungi peninsula. All Total staff have been withdrawn, unlike the closure on 1 January when a skeleton staff was left behind. This suggests that Total expects the closure to be long term – probably more than a year. The installation has simply been handed over to the Mozambican military (FDS) force of about 800, which is inside the fence around the construction site. In abandoning Afungi, Total left behind many Mozambicans working for contractors. The Afungi airstrip was open this morning for military flights and at least one contractor flew in to rescue staff. Total also left behind a huge number of people who had fled to the project gates seeking shelter, but were not allowed to enter. Estimates range from 2000 to 20,000 people, including local residents, contractor staff, and people who […]