Five things to know about Mozambique

PARIS - Mozambique, which holds a general election on October 9, is one of the poorest countries in the world despite vast natural gas deposits.

Here is some background about the Indian Ocean country that is home to 33 million people.

16 YEARS OF CIVIL WAR

After independence from Portugal in 1975, the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) took power and declared a one-party Marxist state.

Civil war erupted between Frelimo and the Mozambique National Resistance (Renamo), claiming around a million lives and reducing the country to rubble before a peace deal in 1992.

Frelimo has won every election since and Renamo is the main opposition party.

ISLAMIST INSURGENCY

Since October 2017, the northernmost and gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado has been attacked by jihadists linked to the Islamic State. Close to 5,800 people have been killed.

Rwanda and neighbouring countries, notably South Africa, deployed troops in 2021, helping the government regain control, but attacks continue.

AMONG THE POOREST 

Mozambique is one of the world's poorest countries. According to the African Development Bank, 74.5 percent of the population, or some 24 million people, lived in poverty in 2023.

The International Monetary Fund resumed support in 2022, with a 456-million-dollar loan over three years.

Mozambique had been starved of international financing after a massive "hidden debt" scandal around $1.8-billion in secret loans to public enterprises.

CYCLONES AND FLOODS

With 2,500 kilometres (1,600 miles) of coastline, the country is vulnerable to cyclones and flooding, which have caused major damage.

In 2019, cyclones Idai and Kenneth left 700 people dead and caused widespread destruction.

A project to plant 200 million mangroves over 60 years is due to kick off in the central Zambezia province in November. It will be the largest project in Africa to plant the trees, which capture carbon dioxide, stabilise coastlines and reduce erosion.

HOPES FOR GAS

The discovery in 2010 of vast offshore gas deposits had Mozambique poised to become one of the world's top 10 exporters. But jihadist violence has kept the country from cashing in, with ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies suspending their projects.

The first exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) began in November 2022, from the Coral Sul offshore plant run by Italy's Eni. When the other projects start producing, Mozambique expects gas revenues to peak at over six billion dollars a year.