The chief executive officer of Japanese multinational Mitsui expressed "optimism" about the Area 1 natural gas project in the north of the country, hailing progress in restoring security in the region, a government source said Wednesday.
The source told Lusa that Motoyasu Nozaki expressed his expectations in a meeting with the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Max Tonela, as part of a visit he is making to Mozambique to meet with local officials.
Motoyasu said he was "very encouraged by the latest developments in Cabo Delgado," referring to the progress in combating the "terrorist groups" plaguing the province.
A lasting and sustainable peace is fundamental for a favorable environment for investment and socio-economic development in the province, the Mitsui CEO continued.
Motoyasu Nozaki said that the re-establishment of security should also be for the benefit of the communities living in the implementation zones of the natural gas projects and the populations of Cabo Delgado, in general.
The Japanese company is a strategic partner of the French oil company Total in the Area 1 liquefied natural gas exploration project in the Rovuma basin.
The consortium was forced to suspend its operation following armed attacks on March 24 on the village of Palma near the development, which is the largest private investment in Africa.
The fight against armed groups in Cabo Delgado has seen significant progress following the recapture, on Sunday, of the town of Mocímboa da Praia, one of the province's main towns, in a joint operation between Mozambican and Rwandan government forces.
On Tuesday, the commander of the Mozambican Army, Cristóvão Chume, said that the joint Mozambique-Rwanda force is deploying "cleaning missions" throughout the district of Mocímboa da Praia.
"Right now, defense missions are taking place in the entire area of Mocímboa da Praia," Chume said in a statement to the media Tuesday from the coastal district headquarters in northern Cabo Delgado.
The coastal town of Mocímboa da Praia, by many pointed to as the insurgents' "base" and where attacks began in October 2017, is one of the main towns in the north of Cabo Delgado province, located 70 kilometers south of the construction area of the natural gas exploration project led by several international oil companies and led by Total.
The village had been invaded and occupied by rebels on March 23 of last year, in an action later claimed by the `jihadist` group Islamic State, and was, on June 27 and 28 of that year, the scene of long clashes between government forces and insurgent groups, which led to the flight of a considerable part of the population.
The retaking of the town by the joint forces of Mozambique and Rwanda took place around 11:00 a.m. Sunday after weeks of military operations, with Rwandan forces estimating from Kigali casualties of at least 70 people among the insurgents.