A German NGO has filed a legal complaint against French energy giant TotalEnergies, accusing the company of “complicity in war crimes” at its gas site in Mozambique.
The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) submitted the complaint to France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor on Monday. The allegations focus on abuses by a joint task force (JTF) deployed to protect TotalEnergies’ liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Cabo Delgado province between July and September 2021.
According to the ECCHR, the soldiers reportedly tortured and killed dozens of civilians at the site. Internal documents suggest that TotalEnergies was aware of these allegations from May 2020 but continued to support the JTF.
Online reports indicate that up to 250 civilians were confined in containers for three months, with only 26 surviving. The victims were accused of supporting jihadists and were subjected to beatings, torture, or killings.
Clara Gonzales, ECCHR’s co-programme director for business and human rights, said: “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.”
Mozambique LNG, operated by TotalEnergies, denied knowledge of the alleged abuses. The company said it has “no information indicating that such events took place.”
Last month, both Mozambican and international NGOs accused TotalEnergies of holding Mozambique “hostage” by demanding “ultra-favourable” conditions to restart the gas project. TotalEnergies owns a 26.5% stake in the venture and plans to resume production in 2029, pending government approval of a new budget, which includes $4.5 billion in cost overruns.
