(Bloomberg) -- Suspected Islamist militants in Mozambique attacked the area of Total SE’s $20 billion liquefied natural gas concession for the first time, according to three people familiar with the incident, dramatically raising risks for Africa’s biggest private investment project.

Fighters from a group aligned with Islamic State late Friday attacked the village of Quitunda, where Total is relocating communities from other parts of the concession as it builds export facilities and other infrastructure, the people said. Government forces repelled the attack that lasted into early Saturday.

It’s the latest violence in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province, where attacks over the past three years have claimed about 2,500 lives and forced 570,000 people from their homes. In the past week, the fighting has rapidly advanced on Total’s LNG project, prompting the company to evacuate at least some workers by air from the remote site.

The company didn’t immediately respond to emailed questions about the latest attack sent outside normal business hours Saturday.

The fighting in Quitunda is the closest yet to Total’s construction camp. The village is less than one kilometer (0.62 miles) from the airstrip the company built within its perimeter fence.

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