The operation is led by the Portuguese consul general in Maputo, and the objective is to provide support to Portuguese residents in the area, mostly merchants, Silva told the RTL channel.

The city of Pemba, 400 kilometers south of Palma, and the capital of the region, is under siege by Al-Shabab, and there are several industrial projects related to gas.

The government of Mozambique reported on Sunday dozens of deaths as a result of the attacks, in addition to a wounded Portuguese man, who was taken to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he is hospitalized.

Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Muyahidin (lit. ‘Mujahideen Youth Movement’ in Arabic), also known as Al-Shabaab (‘The Youth’), is a jihadist movement from Somalia with ties to Al-Qaeda, which it formally joined in 2012. It is considered a terrorist organization by the European Union, the United States and other countries since 2008.

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