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The United States have warned their citizens to leave northern Mozambique district
It's website warned that the district of Palma is likely to witness imminent attacks.
Reuters reports that Six men wielding machetes killed at least seven people and injured four others this month in the predominantly Muslim region close to the Tanzanian border while 10 people were beheaded last month.
Any sign of militant activity is a concern for the country’s fledgling gas industry and the area around the town of Palma near the Tanzanian border where the attacks took place is close to one of the world’s biggest untapped offshore gas resources.
More than $30 billion is expected to be invested in Mozambique’s natural gas sector to build capacity to produce 20 million tonnes per year of LNG, with the first exports from the fields discovered seven years ago due to start after 2021.
Anadarko Petroleum is seeking to raise a record $14-$15 billion from banks and export credit agencies for its huge liquefied natural gas (LNG) project there, sources close to the matter said in May.
Mozambique has not been a focal point of Islamist militant activity in the past and police have been reluctant to ascribe the attacks to Islamists.
The gas find could enable the country to become a major LNPG exporter and attain middle-income status.
Currently, it is one of the world’s poorest countries. About 30 percent of Mozambique’s 30 million people are Roman Catholics. Muslims make up about 18 percent of the population.
Meanwhile Afghanistan's Taliban have called a three-day ceasefire for the Eid holiday, a surprise announcement and the first of its kind, after the country's government ordered its forces to stand down until June 20.
Courtesy of AP
