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A French energy giant is facing allegations of complicity in war crimes over a massacre near its multibillion-dollar gas project in northern Mozambique — accusations the company strongly denies.
In a complaint filed with French prosecutors, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) accuses TotalEnergies of enabling war crimes, including the torture and execution of dozens of civilians allegedly held by Mozambican security forces in shipping containers at the company’s Afungi facility.
TotalEnergies has consistently rejected responsibility for the actions of government troops and allied security units guarding its vast gas development on the Afungi peninsula — once Africa’s largest foreign investment project.
“Companies and their executives are not neutral actors in conflict zones. If they enable or fuel crimes, they may be complicit and should be held accountable,” said Clara Gonzales, ECCHR’s co-programme director for business and human rights.
The killings took place in Cabo Delgado, a resource-rich province where government forces were fighting violent Islamist militants linked to the Islamic State group, notorious for beheadings and village massacres.
In March 2021, militants stormed the nearby town of Palma, killing or kidnapping 1,563 people living near TotalEnergies’ gas site, according to investigative journalist Alex Perry. His 2024 Politico investigation first documented both the Palma death toll and what he described as a reprisal massacre at the entrance to Total’s compound. Perry called it the “bloodiest disaster in oil and gas history”.
Locals who fled to the TotalEnergies facility for protection were accused by troops of helping insurgents. Men were forced into shipping containers, where many were later killed. Perry identified 97 victims but believes the true number could be twice as high.
“Most people have never heard about any of this, partly because Total has acknowledged none of it. Today is a victory for truth and accountability,” he said.
The UK initially offered financial guarantees to British firms involved in the gas project. But after suspending support following the Palma bloodshed, environmental groups are now urging London to withdraw completely, saying the gravity of the allegations should be a “red line” for any financial backers.
Lorette Philippot of Friends of the Earth France said Total was “demonstrating that it has learned nothing from the past” by moving to lift force majeure on the project despite what she called “dramatic” security and humanitarian conditions. She urged the UK and Dutch governments to refuse to renew financial support, following the example of French banks Société Générale and Crédit Agricole.
Supporters of the project argue that TotalEnergies’ commitment is a bold investment that could transform one of Africa’s most neglected regions. But critics describe it as an environmental, ethical and financial disaster, drawing parallels with another major French firm, Lafarge, which is currently on trial in France — along with eight former employees — for allegedly paying jihadist groups in Syria to keep a cement plant running.
