Mozambique appears to be prioritising liquefied natural gas profits over security of its people

The discovery of large gas deposits in the Rovuma Basin off the coast of northern Mozambique in 2011 made Mozambicans dream of prosperity. They hoped the country would become one of Africa’s largest producers and exporters of liquefied natural gas, with state revenues estimated at $100-billion over 20 years.

Seven years later, however, a deadly armed insurgency emerged in the region, largely driven, locals believe, by the gas discovery. To date, more than 4,000 people have died and close to one million have been displaced.

The African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) has previously expressed concern about the prevalence of conflicts related to natural resources in Africa. At a meeting in December 2019, it stressed the imperative of effective and transparent management. It called for equitable distribution of a country’s natural resources to ensure the interests and wellbeing of the local population, communities and the country.

This followed an AU ministerial conference in Bamako, Mali, the previous month to discuss the threat posed by disputes over access to natural resources. Some AU member states tried to establish frameworks and processes to ensure equitable distribution of wealth from natural resources. However in many cases, as the Mozambican example shows, natural resources are a curse rather than a benefit.

The exact link between the gas discovery and the insurgency is yet to be demonstrated, but the Maputo government has taken several unpopular measures to grant gas exploration rights to multinational oil companies. Measures have included limiting coastal communities’ access to the sea for fishing and taking thousands of hectares of land from local citizens without proper public consultation and fair compensation. 

Historically, exploration of natural resources in Mozambique has been associated with conflicts between host communities and multinational mining companies involving access to livelihoods. The government has backed the companies in almost all conflicts, deploying special police units to suppress popular uprisings with violence, often causing injuries and deaths.

Apart from expropriating land to give it to gas exploration companies, the government also seemingly prioritised the protection of gas investments when the Cabo Delgado insurgency started. This left neighbouring populations exposed to further attacks.

As the conflict spread in northern Cabo Delgado, the gas exploration companies, led by the North American Anadarko and the Italian Eni, saw their investment totalling $30-million at risk. They told the government they wanted to hire private military contractors to protect their assets. According to military sources interviewed by the Institute for Security Studies, the government rejected this, instead deploying contingents of the Mozambique armed defence forces and special unit police to provide security.