French supermajor Total has advised key workers evacuated from its Afungi liquefied natural gas construction site in Mozambique late last year that they should be prepared to return within weeks.

All non-essential personnel were evacuated in late December after attacks by Islamist insurgents came close to the boundary fence of the site in restive Cabo Delgado province, leaving a sizeable number of skeleton staff in place.

According to two sources with knowledge of Total’s plans, workers have been informed that — assuming their safety can be guaranteed — they could return to Afungi at the end of this month.