Version imprimableThe peril of youth
This militia, known as Ash-Shabab, meaning ‘the youth’, has pledged its allegiance to Islamic State. Beyond the religious dimension, their propaganda denounces government corruption and the appropriation of villagers’ land to plunder natural resources. In addition to the religious and economic causes of this guerrilla warfare, there are also community motivations. Over the years, the jihadists have grown stronger thanks to the support, forced or otherwise, of a section of the population.
This situation is the main obstacle to exploiting one of the largest gas deposits. Companies from the United States (Exxon Mobil), Italy (Eni) and France (TotalEnergies) have positioned themselves in the region. The latter has invested more than 20 billion dollars in the installation of infrastructures that have led to the expulsion of local people from their land.
Serving the multinationals
The Mozambican government has refused any dialogue or reforms that might have defused the conflict. It chose the hard way by using the army to settle the matter, to no avail, followed by the use of Wagner’s mercenaries, which turned into a disaster. The authorities appealed to SADC, the Southern African Development Community. It deployed a military mission that ended in July 2024 with mixed results. The Rwandan forces, who were also present, only managed to establish a protective cordon around the industrial facilities.
The European Union helped finance all these military interventions through the European Peace Facility (EPF) and through military training missions under EUMAM-Mozambique, financed to the tune of over €80 million.
Financing an invading country
Rwandan troops also received €20 million last year. France and Italy successfully insisted that this aid be renewed despite Rwanda’s military aggression in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The recent Human Rights Watch report documenting the systematic practice of torture in Rwandan jails did nothing to alter this decision. Although this payment is subject to formal conditions, they can be ignored if the European Union has the will to do so.
As for TotalEnergies, it is participating in the security policy by paying bonuses to the Mozambican soldiers of the Joint Task Force, a structure dedicated to protecting the gas site. TotalEnergies has also been involved in serious human rights violations on the multinational’s own premises, but business is business.
5 December 2024
Translated by International Viewpoint from l’Anticapitaliste.
