Ramaphosa Holds Urgent Meeting With Defence Minister Over Chaos in Mozambique
- President Cyril Ramaphosa has held an urgent meeting with Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula
- Militants from the al-Shabaab have taken control of the town of Palma in the Cabo Delgado province
- At least one South African has died in the violence and reports are sketchy as communications with Palma have been severed
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President Cyril Ramaphosa has held an urgent meeting with the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula over the escalating crisis unfolding in neighbouring Mozambique.
Militants from the al-Shabaab have wrestled control of the control of Palma in the Cabo Delgado province from the government.
The town of Palma was transformed into a warzone as an estimated 100 jihadist fighters assaulted to town.
Source: Facebook
Around 200 foreign nationals were housed in the hotel in the town who were working on the massive R899 billion gas project.
Among the casualties, at least one South African is suspected to have been killed.
According to eNCA information on the ground is sketchy as all communications have been severed with the town of Palma.
Earlier, Briefly.co.za reported that Islamic militants have attacked a hotel in northern Mozambique and a number of people have lost their lives.
17 vehicles carrying foreign contractors fled the hotel and the convoy was ambushed en route, only 7 of the vehicles escaped according to The Times.
The situation on the ground is very chaotic and at the moment it is impossible to get any accurate numbers but many people are feared dead or captured.
The town of Palma has become a warzone as jihadist insurgents have launched an attack and South African private security company Dyck Advisory Group (DAG) had been keeping the militants at bay with attack helicopters but they had to withdraw due to low fuel.
In other news, United States President Joe Biden has made history by nominating Lloyd Austin, a retired four-star army general to be his Defense Secretary as he continues to organise his administration ahead of his swearing-in ceremony in January 2021
Austin will in the process become the first African-American to head the pentagon with over 2.2 million service members, making it the largest employer in the world.
Biden confirmed the news on his Twitter page on Tuesday, December 8, saying his nominee understood how to handle terrorism threats well.
"I know General Austin. I trust him. Because I know how he reacts under pressure. When ISIS emerged as a terrorist threat, President Obama and I turned to General Austin in the Situation Room and he led us through. Now, I turn to him again as Secretary of Defense.
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Source: Briefly News
