Hundreds of foreigners are trapped in Mozambique after insurgency overpowered private contractors and took over the coastal town of Palma.
Over 200 employees of foreign companies were holed up in Amarula Palma hotel and an attempt to escape resulted in the death of over half of the 200 people who were in a 17 car convoy.
The violence comes in the same week that Zimbabwe deployed it Deputy Defence Minister, Victor Matemadanda, to be the Ambassador in Mozambique.
Zimbabwe, Malawi and South Africa have military presence in Mozambique at the multi billion gas project.
Drivers of the conflict
The conflict in Mozambique is driven by a combination of factors:
- Islamists backed by Isis who have decided to take over the area.
- Vast mineral wealth that has been discovered in recent days.
- A weak response from the SADC region as no one wants to foot the bill for the mission.
- A weak Mozambique army that is made up of new recruits.
The islamists have cut off cellular communications and hundreds are stuck in lodges along the coast.
Please watch the video above this post for more details.
