ECCHR accuses TotalEnergies of complicity in Mozambique massacre
The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights filed a complaint with French prosecutors accusing TotalEnergies of complicity in war crimes over a 2021 massacre near its multibillion-dollar gas project in northern Mozambique. The complaint centers on allegations that Mozambican security forces tortured and executed civilians held in shipping containers at a site tied to the project.
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- The complaint alleges involvement in torture and executions of dozens of civilians near the company’s Cabo Delgado project in 2021.
- ECCHR says internal documents show TotalEnergies knew of accusations of violence by Mozambican armed forces from May 2020 yet continued support to a joint task force (JTF).
- TotalEnergies has denied the claims, according to the complaint filing and statements accompanying it.
Details of the complaint
ECCHR’s submission asks French authorities to examine whether the company’s actions or assistance to local security structures amount to criminal complicity. It points specifically to the detention and alleged killing of civilians inside a cluster of shipping containers on or adjacent to the project site.
- Allegations focus on a single, high-casualty event in 2021 but are framed against a broader pattern of security cooperation.
- The complaint relies on what ECCHR describes as internal project documents and witness accounts to substantiate its claims.
TotalEnergies’ response and the contested internal documents
TotalEnergies has denied the allegations, according to the materials filed with prosecutors and public statements accompanying the complaint. The ECCHR says internal records contradict the company’s public posture by showing awareness of serious abuse allegations well before the 2021 incident.
- The company denies complicity; the complaint cites internal communications as evidence that it knew about reports of violence from May 2020 onward.
- ECCHR argues continued logistical or security support to the JTF could make the company legally and morally responsible for abuses.
- How closely TotalEnergies coordinated with Mozambican security forces and what forms of support it provided will be key questions for investigators.
What TotalEnergies has said
Publicly, TotalEnergies rejected the allegations when they were reported, and the company maintains that it complies with human rights standards and local laws. The complaint, however, frames the internal documents as undercutting that public line and asks prosecutors to weigh corporate responsibility.
Conflict context: Cabo Delgado and the security environment
Cabo Delgado province is the site of an insurgency linked to the Islamic State group and has seen brutal attacks, including beheadings, that prompted an intensified military response. The gas development in the region is one of Africa’s largest energy investments and has long relied on private and public security arrangements.
- The region’s violence prompted the creation of joint security forces and a JTF to protect facilities and personnel.
- Civilian harm and forced displacement have accompanied military operations against Islamist militants in Cabo Delgado.
- Accusations that government forces may have committed mass abuses add to scrutiny of companies operating in conflict zones.
Security, business and human rights risks
Energy projects in conflict zones often face a fraught choice between ensuring security and avoiding association with abusive actors. Human-rights groups say companies must conduct rigorous due diligence to avoid enabling rights violations; lawyers say failure to do so can create exposure to criminal and civil liability in jurisdictions like France.
International reaction and possible consequences
Environmental and human-rights organizations have urged governments and financiers to reassess support for the project, while the ECCHR complaint could prompt a formal French investigation with legal and reputational consequences for TotalEnergies. The case underscores wider debates about corporate accountability in conflict zones.
- Campaigners have called on the U.K. and the Netherlands to withdraw financial backing for the project in light of the allegations.
- If prosecutors open an investigation, it could lead to evidence gathering, witness interviews and potential charges depending on findings.
- The outcome may influence how international companies structure security arrangements around high-value projects in unstable regions.
Investigators in France will now decide whether the complaint merits a formal probe. The filing represents a high-profile test of how national legal systems address alleged corporate links to wartime atrocities abroad.
By News-room
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
