French multinational energy company TotalEnergies is confronting serious legal allegations of complicity in war crimes connected to its liquefied natural gas operations in Mozambique's volatile Cabo Delgado province.
Legal Action Initiated Against Energy Giant
The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), a prominent German non-governmental organization, filed a formal legal complaint on Monday with France's national anti-terrorism prosecutor. The document, verified by AFP news agency, accuses TotalEnergies of enabling human rights violations during security operations around its gas facility.
The complaint specifically focuses on events between July and September 2021 when soldiers from a joint task force deployed to protect the company's infrastructure allegedly committed numerous atrocities against local civilians.
Alleged Human Rights Abuses Detailed
According to the ECCHR statement, the alleged violations include torture and the killing of dozens of civilians near TotalEnergies' liquefied natural gas project in northeastern Cabo Delgado province. The region has experienced significant instability due to jihadist activities.
Online media outlet Politico provided disturbing details, reporting that soldiers working at the site detained up to 250 civilians in containers for three months, accusing them of supporting jihadist groups. The publication stated that only 26 of these individuals survived the ordeal, with others subjected to beatings, torture, or execution.
Internal company documents reportedly show that TotalEnergies had knowledge of violence accusations against Mozambican armed forces as early as May 2020, yet continued supporting the joint task force responsible for site security.
Corporate Responsibility in Conflict Zones
Clara Gonzales, ECCHR's co-programme director for business and human rights, emphasized that companies operating in conflict zones cannot claim neutrality. "TotalEnergies knew that the Mozambican armed forces had been accused of systematic human rights violations, yet continued to support them with the only objective to secure its own facility," she stated.
Gonzales further noted that "companies and their executives are not neutral actors when they operate in conflict zones: if they enable or fuel crimes, they might be complicit and should be held accountable."
The joint task force in question comprised Mozambican armed forces specifically assigned to protect the gas infrastructure, which suspended operations following a jihadist attack in 2021.
Company Response and Project Future
Mozambique LNG, the gas company involved, has denied any knowledge of the alleged events. According to ECCHR, the company stated it had "no knowledge of the alleged events described" nor "any information indicating that such events took place."
This legal challenge comes amid ongoing tensions between TotalEnergies and Mozambican authorities. Last month, various Mozambican and international NGOs accused the French energy giant of holding Mozambique "hostage" by demanding "ultra-favourable" conditions to restart the gas project.
TotalEnergies holds a 26.5 percent stake in the Mozambique LNG project and has expressed hope to resume production by 2029. However, the company first requires government approval for its revised budget plan, which includes $4.5 billion in cost overruns linked to project delays that the Mozambique government would need to cover.
The case highlights growing scrutiny of corporate accountability in conflict areas and raises important questions about the responsibilities of multinational corporations operating in regions experiencing security challenges.
