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French energy giant Total has shut its operations and withdrawn all staff from a site in northern Mozambique following last week's deadly jihadist attack in the area, security sources said Friday.
"Total has gone," a security source in Maputo told AFP, adding that "it will be hard to persuade them to return".
Separately a military source said "all the facilities are abandoned. Total made a decision to evacuate all of its staff", after drone surveillance showed insurgents were in areas "very close" to the gas plant in Afungi.
Afungi peninsula is only 10 kilometres (six miles) from the town of Palma, which came under attack more than a week ago, resulting in the death of dozens of people.
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The brazen attack on March 24, was the latest in a string of more than 830 organised raids by the Islamist militants over the past three years during which more than 2,600 people have died.
Total's action came as the army commander in Afungi, Chongo Vidigal vowed on Thursday that the gas project was "protected".
"We are currently in the special area in Afungi and never had a terrorism threat," he said.
Total had already evacuated some staff and suspended construction work in late December following a series of violent attacks near its compound.
But last week's raid is seen as the biggest escalation of the Islamist insurgency ravaging Cabo Delgado province since 2017.
