The Mozambican government says it is confident that the companies linked to the oil and gas projects in Cabo Delgado, including ExxonMobil, will resume their activities, with the improvement in security conditions in Palma, but for analysts the delay in making a final decision is not only due to insecurity.

The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, said that "ExxonMobil is a partner of Mozambique and we are working together (...) the oil company has assured us that the question is not whether it will return or not, but when it will return".

The US oil company has yet to present its final investment project, having stopped its activities in Cabo Delgado in 2021 because of the terrorist attacks that have killed thousands of people and displaced more than a million since 2017.

For economist João Mosca, the presentation of the final project could still take some time, because companies don't make the final decision in a war situation like Cabo Delgado, as the situation can change quickly.

"Rwandan protection of the area where the logistics part of these companies operate is not completely guaranteed, but not only that, but all the access routes to these places are also attacked," said the economist, quoted by VOA.

He pointed out that operating and investment costs have multiplied a lot, as have the salaries that technicians receive in a high-risk situation and the prices of transportation and services, "and companies are hedging on this".

And eventually, said João Mosca, these companies won't be so interested in supplying more gas and oil to the market, because if that happens the price could drop to 45 or 50 dollars a barrel, "which doesn't interest them at all".

"So these market factors should also be considered and not just the military situation in Cabo Delgado," he stressed.

In addition, there are also geo-strategic reasons that contribute to this situation, i.e. the companies maintain their interest in Cabo Delgado's oil and gas, but without deciding on the definitive progress of the investment.