TotalEnergies is facing fresh scrutiny over its response to a 2021 attack in Mozambique, with new allegations of complicity in war crimes. A European human rights NGO, the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), filed a criminal complaint in Paris accusing TotalEnergies of being an accomplice in the "container massacre" due to directly financing and materially supporting Mozambican soldiers. These soldiers allegedly crammed approximately 200 men into shipping containers near TotalEnergies' gas liquefaction plant and killed most of them between June and September 2021. Only 26 men reportedly survived, rescued by a Rwandan intervention force.
The allegations, first reported by POLITICO, claim that after an attack by jihadis, Mozambican commandos based at Total's concession rounded up 500 villagers, separated men from women and children, raped several women, and forced 180-250 men into metal shipping containers. This complaint adds to existing legal challenges, including a French criminal investigation for involuntary manslaughter due to TotalEnergies' alleged failure to protect or rescue workers left in Palma during an ISIS attack in March 2021. The company had declared a state of "force majeure" on its $20.5 billion project, suspending work for four and a half years, costing an additional $4.5 billion.
TotalEnergies' Mozambique operation is also under investigation by the Mozambican Attorney General, the Mozambican National Human Rights Commission, and the Dutch government, which is probing $1.2 billion in state financing. The company has denied the war crimes allegations, stating it "firmly rejects all such accusations" and cooperated fully with investigations. The new complaint and existing manslaughter case could hinder TotalEnergies' ability to secure $14.9 billion in loans, which its CEO Patrick Pouyanné has stated are crucial for the project. Additionally, Friends of the Earth is challenging a $4.7 billion U.S. government loan to the project. Despite these challenges, TotalEnergies recently lifted the force majeure and announced its project is proceeding as planned, with other lenders agreeing to provide additional equity to cover shortfalls from British and Dutch withdrawals of support.
