Mozambique’s national airline board sacked after prime minister left stranded

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Board members from Mozambique’s national airline have been sacked after the prime minister was left stranded following flight cancellations.

Financial difficulties resulted in the airline, state-controlled LAM, being forced to cancel flights as they were unable to pay for fuel.

Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosário was forced to use an air force plane for his official trip to the northern Niassa province.

The “chaos” has been going on for three days and the airline has apologised, according to reports in local media.

LAM said it was working to ensure flights resumed after the government intervention.

The airline had their six year ban from operating in the European Union lifted last year – after the EU was satisfied their concerns about a lack of oversight by aviation authorities had been met.

The war-scarred southern African nation sits on some of the world's largest untapped natural gas reserves but has been cut off from multilateral and foreign donors after the government admitted to $1.4bn (£1bn) of undisclosed borrowing in 2016.

Mozambique has been rocked by a spate of beheadings and kidnappings in recent months that have prompted international energy firms operating in the northern Cabo Delgado province to introduce added security measures.

Agencies contributed to this report