Mozambique: Thousands flee besieged Palma by boats

International aid agency sources say between 6,000 and 10,000 people are waiting to be evacuated to safety.

Thousands of survivors of coordinated attacks in northern Mozambique’s Palma town were arriving in the provincial capital Pemba on boats, according to sources in the city. Rebel fighters raided Palma last week, a town of approximately 75,000 in the province of Cabo Delgado that is home to a multibillion-dollar gas project being built by France’s Total and other energy companies. Sea Star, a large passenger vessel, arrived in Pemba on Sunday carrying about 1,400 people, mostly workers, including Total employees.