A French energy giant is under scrutiny in France over claims it may have been involved in war crimes linked to a 2021 massacre in northern Mozambique.
The allegations, lodged by a European human rights group, focus on the company’s multi-billion dollar gas project in the region, one of Africa’s largest foreign investments at the time.
The complaint, filed with French authorities by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), accuses TotalEnergies of possible complicity in the torture and killing of civilians held by Mozambican security forces at its Afungi peninsula facility.
TotalEnergies rejects any responsibility, insisting that government troops and other security personnel guarding the site acted independently.
"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 violence occurred in Cabo Delgado province, where government troops were engaged in combat with Islamist militants associated with the Islamic State group, known for beheadings and attacks on civilians.
In March 2021, insurgents stormed Palma, a town near TotalEnergies’ gas plant, killing or abducting 1,563 residents, according to investigative journalist Alex Perry. He later documented the retaliatory killings at Total’s compound for Politico in 2024, describing the incident as the "bloodiest disaster in oil and gas history."
Reports indicate that civilians seeking protection from government forces at the facility were accused of aiding insurgents. Men were forcibly separated and held in shipping containers, where many were later executed.
Perry identified 97 victims, but he suggests the true number could be twice as high. "Most people have never heard about any of this, in part because Total has acknowledged none of it. Today is a victory for truth, and accountability," Perry told the BBC. The broadcaster has contacted TotalEnergies for comment.
Initially, the UK government supported companies investing in the Mozambique project, promoting it as a major economic opportunity.
After the Palma attacks, Britain suspended its backing. Environmental campaigners are now calling for full withdrawal, arguing that the severity of the allegations should serve as a “red line” for investors in the LNG project.
"Total continued to demonstrate that it has learned nothing from the past: it just announced the lifting of the force majeure on its gas project, despite the dramatic security and humanitarian situation," said Lorette Philippot of Friends of the Earth France.
She urged the UK and Dutch governments, along with French banks Société Générale and Crédit Agricole, to halt support for Mozambique LNG.
Proponents of TotalEnergies argue that continuing the Cabo Delgado project could bring vital development to a historically overlooked region. Critics counter that it poses serious environmental, ethical, and financial risks, drawing comparisons to French company Lafarge, which is on trial with eight former employees for allegedly paying jihadist groups to keep a cement plant in Syria operational.
