Palma (Mozambique)
| Palma | |||
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| Country: |
 Mozambique
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| Province : | Cabo Delgado | ||
| Residents: | 75,000 | ||
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Palma is a Mozambican city in the province of Cabo Delgado and the administrative seat of the district of Palma of the same name .
location
The original fishing settlement is located on the bay of the same name in the coastal area to the Indian Ocean , about 25 km from the border with Tanzania . The small port is the northernmost in the country. At Quionga the wetlands are located in the estuary of the Rovuma River and in the vicinity of the Ilha Suafo . To the northeast of the city and at the end of its bay, the elongated Cabo Delgado Peninsula extends into the ocean. About 10 kilometers southeast of the city is the Afungi Peninsula with an industrial area being developed here.
nature
The Palma Bay reaches a depth of 50 m in its central area and its bottom consists of sands and silty sediments. In the outer area of the bay are the islands Tecomaji and Rongui . In 2011, around 10 hectares of the water area in Palma Bay were declared a marine reserve ( Decree No. 71/2011 of December 30th).
Transport infrastructure
Palma has a regional fishing port and an airport. The regional road R762 comes from the south and ends in Palma. The R775 runs from the city center past the airport on the northern outskirts to the village of Quionga .
economy
The traditional livelihood for the residents of Palma is fishing in the bay. There is also agriculture in the area as well as small animal husbandry and handicrafts.
There are natural gas reserves near the city . Under the leadership of the company Total , an industrial natural gas production project with an attached liquefaction plant is being built near Palma , which is to be planned and expanded as part of the national Mozambique LNG Project . The gas deposits are located on the continental shelf off the Mozambican coast. The project began in 2010 with exploration work in Offshore Area 1 , and was finalized by law in 2014, so that the construction of extraction and processing systems could begin in August 2019. The industrial area has its own airport.
Islamist attacks in 2021
Several activities by jihadist groups in Mozambique had become known through the US State Department and other sources. There were already warnings of possible terrorist attacks in the region, but these are said not to have led to appropriate protective measures. In 2020, armed Islamist insurgents in Mocímboa da Praia, further south, were able to temporarily take control of this city. There have been riots in the north of Mozambique since October 2017.
On March 24, 2021, a series of long-prepared terrorist attacks by the jihadist fighters of the Mozambican al-Shabaab (not identical to the group of the same name in Somalia) with ISIS connections on residential areas of the civilian population and objects of the Mozambican security forces began in Palma and its surroundings , which also affected foreigners in a hotel complex. The terrorists invaded the city from the port and then spread out into the vicinity of Palma. The residents fled to the surrounding regions to escape the armed gangs. Numerous people lost their lives, whereby according to unsecured reports the number of victims was given as 55. The terrorists also destroyed public buildings and banks. The Mozambican security forces evacuated thousands of residents from the affected region. The South African security company Dyck Advisory Group (DAG) also took part in the evacuation operations with helicopters . Further relief efforts for the residents came with small boats across the harbor. The resulting situation of the civilian population is considered to be dramatic and chaotic. President Filipe Nyusi is accused in the country of not doing enough to ensure stability and security in northern Mozambique.
On March 31, the fighting in Palma allegedly had calmed down when military entered the city and began to retake it. DAG six light were Gazelle - gunships used against the attackers. On April 1, the Mozambican government announced that most of the city was empty, with security forces looking for and clashing with rebels. On April 2, Cyril Ramaphosa , President of the Republic of South Africa , announced that South African troops had been sent to Palma to evacuate South African citizens.
Individual evidence
- ^ African Development Bank Group: Mozambique LNG. Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Summary . ADBG 2019, online at www.afdb.org (English, PDF), PDF document p. 14–15.
- ↑ World Airport Codes: Palma Airport (LMZ) . at www.world-airport-codes.com (English).
- ^ República de Moçambique, Ministério das Pescas: Actualização de Zonas Potenciais para Aquacultura Marinha em Moçambique . Instituto Nacional de Desenvolvimento da Aquacultura 2011, online at www.mimaip.gov.mz (English, PDF) PDF document p. 16.
- ^ Total E&P Mozambique Area 1 Ltd .: About the project . at www.mzlng.total.com (English, Portuguese).
- ↑ Total : Liquefied Natural Gas. Mozambique LNG, Mozambique . at www.ep.total.com (English, French).
- ↑ Anonymous: Mozambique Offshore Area 1 Project . at www.offshore-technology.com Information status around 2019.
- ^ Total E&P Mozambique Area 1 Ltd .: Progress & Milestones . at www.mzlng.total.com (English, Portuguese).
- ↑ according to OSM
- ^ Arnaldo Vieira: US proscribes ISIS affiliates in Mozambique and DR Congo . Message from The East African of March 13, 2021 on www.theeastafrican.co.ke (English).
- ↑ Peter Beaumont: Total chaos': survivors tell of insurgent attack in Mozambique . Message of The Guardian of 29 March 2021 www.theguardian.com (English).
- ↑ Aljazeera: Mozambique: Police, military cordon off Palma as thousands await evacuation . at www.news24.com (English).
- ^ Iain Esau: Palma attacks: Total stops work at Mozambique LNG as workers and locals flee brutal assault by Islamist insurgents . at www.upstreamonline.com (English).
- ^ Isel van Zyl, Tyler Lycan: East African terror groups are exploiting the seas . at www.issafrica.org (English).
- ↑ Aljazeera: Over 180 people trapped in Mozambique hotel after attack . (English).
- ↑ AFP : Dozens killed in Mozambique Islamist attacks, government says . Message of The East African of 29 March 2021 www.theeastafrican.co.ke (English).
- ^ Jason Burke, Peter Beaumont: Isis claims deadly attack in northern Mozambique . Message of The Guardian of 29 March 2021 www.theguardian.com (English).
- ^ Arnaldo Vieira: US condemns attacks in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado . Message of The East African of 29 March 2021 www.theeastafrican.co.ke (English).
- ↑ Deutsche Welle: Palma: “Situation is dramatic and catastrophic” - DW . on clubofmozambique.com (English).
- ^ SA military company in insurgent combat zone, the Dyck Advisory Group, will not extend contract with Mozambique Daily Maverick on March 31, 2021, accessed on April 2
- ↑ Mozambique's Palma town deserted as fighting continues Africa News on April 1, 2021, accessed on April 2
- ^ S. African troops to repatriate nationals in Mozambique. Anadolu Ajansı , April 2, 2021, accessed April 3, 2021 .
Coordinates: 10 ° 46 ′ 35.8 ″ S , 40 ° 28 ′ 18.8 ″ E