A French energy company is facing war crimes allegations, which it denies, over a massacre near its multi-billion dollar international gas project in northern Mozambique in 2021.
In a complaint filed with French prosecutors, a human rights group accused TotalEnergies of complicity in war crimes, including the torture and execution of dozens of civilians held by local security forces in a cluster of shipping containers at its facility.
Total has always denied responsibility for the actions of government troops and related security forces who were involved in guarding the Afungi peninsula gas refinery development.
It was the biggest foreign investment project in Africa at the time.
The complaint was filed by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), a human rights group.
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, said Clara Gonzales, the ECCHR's co-programme director for business and human rights.
The massacre by Mozambican forces took place in resource-rich Cabo Delgado province, where government troops were battling violent Islamist militants linked to the Islamic State group.
During an Islamist attack on Palma in March 2021, many civilians were killed or kidnapped. The investigative journalist Alex Perry noted the death toll and highlighted the subsequent reprisal massacre by Mozambican forces.
Locals seeking assistance were accused of aiding insurgents and faced dire consequences. The number of civilians killed by security forces is unclear, with estimates ranging significantly.
Supporters of TotalEnergies argue the project could benefit the region, while critics label it an ethical disaster, pointing out the dangerous precedent it may set amidst allegations of complicity in violence.
The article concludes with calls for transparency and accountability from international investors supporting the controversial gas project in Mozambique.
