The report released by TotalEnergies, produced by the consultants Jean-Christophe Rufin and Ingrid Glowacki, addresses many issues related to humanitarian, development and security questions in Cabo Delgado, but does not answer the essential question, as to whether and to what extent there are conditions for the resumption of gas exploration in Area 1 of the Rovuma Basin, suspended since April 2021 due to attacks of the insurgents in the district of Palma.
According to the TotalEnergies spokesperson, there are three necessary conditions for the restart of the project, namely: i) guarantees about security in Cabo Delgado; ii) guarantees as regards human rights and; iii) the issue of project costs after a break of more than two years. Jean-Christophe Rufin was commissioned to carry out the assessment in Cabo Delgado following a visit by the CEO of TotalEnergies, in February this year, to assess the security and humanitarian situation, with a view to resuming the project.
