Cabo Delgado attacks threaten gas developments
Oil firms have slowed work on new Mozambican export projects due to security concerns
Just as the Mozambique government and the consortia developing the huge gas reserves in the Rovuma Basin seem to be nearing final investment decisions, a spate of violent attacks has threatened to throw the projects into doubt, unless the security forces can get a handle on the situation. There has been no repeat of the stunning attack which announced the insurgency on 3 October 2017, when an armed group effectively took the town of Mocímboa da Praia in Cabo Delgado province for more than 24 hours. The province, which is adjacent to the Tanzanian border in the north of the country, is at the centre of the new offshore gas sector. Security forces managed to regain control of the town, but ins
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
