On November 17, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), a European NGO headquartered in Berlin, filed a criminal complaint with France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor against TotalEnergies for “complicity in war crimes, torture and disappearances.” According to the document, between July and September 2021, soldiers guarding the facilities of the Mozambique LNG liquefied natural gas project detained dozens of civilians in metal containers. There, many would have been tortured, disappeared or executed. The complaint maintains that TotalEnergies financed and provided material support to that military unit (housing, equipment and bonuses), even knowing that there were accusations of human rights violations.
The French company rejects the accusations and affirms that all its employees were evacuated from the site in April 2021, before the reported events. Likewise, it declares that it does not have information indicating that these acts took place. For its part, the Government of Mozambique also denies the complaint.
The accusations arose from a journalistic investigation published in September 2024 by POLITICO, which reported serious abuses in 2021. This article was picked up by some other international media. The Mozambican Government was then forced to announce, in March 2025, that a criminal investigation was being opened. In addition, the Mozambican National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) was called in to carry out its own evaluation. According to the company and the Mozambican Executive, both actions did not find evidence that implicated TotalEnergies.
Between 2010 and 2012, the American company Andarko Petroleum and the Italian company Eni discovered large gas fields off the coast of Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique. This could make Mozambique one of Africa’s largest natural gas producers, with potential for large-scale international export. In 2013, the French company TotalEnergies became involved as operator of the Mozambique LNG project, leading the development of liquefaction infrastructure, gas pipelines and port terminals. Works that led to the forced displacement of local communities. In response to their protests, there was a strengthening of the military presence: both government forces and private security were deployed to protect facilities and employees. Furthermore, the employment and development expectations that the project promised have not been fully met for the local population. All of this increases frustration and feeds the narrative of the armed groups that have emerged in the area against the State and companies.
Since 2017, the province of Cabo Delgado has suffered insurgent attacks carried out by armed groups, locally known as Al-Shabaab Mozambique or Ahlu Sunnah wa Jammah. A conflict that has caused thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of displaced people. The insurgents allege for their actions that the exploitation of resources by foreign companies does not benefit the local population. For this reason, they have attacked villages, infrastructure and employees related to gas projects. Given this, the Mozambican government sent more troops to the area, which led to reports of human rights abuses, arbitrary detentions and, according to the complaint against TotalEnergies, complicity in war crimes. It can be said that natural gas did not directly cause this conflict, but it did exacerbate existing tensions in the area. The truth is that in 2021, TotalEnergies declared a stoppage in its activities in Cabo Delgado due to insecurity.
On October 25 of this same year, the French company announced that it had lifted the suspension and that it intended to resume gas extraction. The Mozambican Government gave him a period of 30 days, starting in November, to present a clear schedule for restarting the project and guaranteed that security in the area had greatly improved. Now, the company and government have to negotiate new economic agreements, which indicates that the project will be delayed more than desired by the Mozambican authorities. Furthermore, although security has improved in the Cabo Delgado region, the situation remains volatile, and the French company wants to act very cautiously.
And right at this moment, the ECCHR complaint appears, which has generated strong international pressure. Aspects of human rights, security and social responsibility are at stake and add complexity to the intentions to revitalize the project.
This is not the first time that TotalEnergies, and before that its predecessor, Total SA, has faced accusations of human rights violations. In Niger, local communities reported oil and gas pollution affecting water and health. Total was accused of environmental negligence and failing to ensure adequate consultation with affected communities. During the construction of the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline in the 2000s, various NGOs denounced forced displacements and lack of fair compensation to local populations. Likewise, in Nigeria, Total has been named in litigation related to the oil spill in the Niger Delta and its impact on fishing, agriculture and the health of the inhabitants of the area.
In the case of Mozambique, the biggest obstacle that this complaint may encounter is determining corporate responsibility when it comes to a conflict zone. To succeed in the lawsuit, the complainants must prove that the company knew—or should have known—of these abuses and still maintained its support for the security forces. However, if successful, this case could set an important precedent: forcing international companies to take responsibility for abuses committed by local security forces in their projects.
