TotalEnergies Faces Lawsuit in Paris over Alleged Complicity in Mozambique War Crimes

French energy giant TotalEnergies is facing a lawsuit filed in Paris accusing the company of complicity in war crimes, torture, and forced disappearances linked to the security arrangements around its $20 billion Mozambique LNG project. The lawsuit, brought by the German NGO European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), alleges that TotalEnergies financed and materially supported the Joint Task Force (JTF), a Mozambican armed force that was responsible for grave human rights abuses between July and September 2021 near the project site on the Afungi peninsula.

Following a deadly jihadist attack in early 2021, TotalEnergies halted the LNG project and secured the site via the JTF. However, investigations by Politico, Le Monde, and the investigative collective SourceMaterial uncovered that JTF soldiers detained dozens of men fleeing the Al-Chabab militia, confining them in metal containers where they were starved, beaten, and tortured. At least five detainees died, with many others missing. Satellite imagery, videos, and witness testimonies corroborate these abuses.

New evidence indicates TotalEnergies was aware of ongoing abuses as early as April 2021, with internal documents revealing knowledge of potential human rights violations since May 2020. Clara Gonzales of ECCHR criticized TotalEnergies’ claims of ignorance, noting documented internal awareness of the JTF's violent activities.

The complaint has been submitted to the Paris national anti-terrorism prosecutor and has prompted investigations by Mozambican authorities into allegations against TotalEnergies, including involuntary homicide and failure to protect civilians living near the LNG site.

This case is part of a wider scrutiny on TotalEnergies’ role and responsibilities amid the ongoing security crisis in Mozambique, which has severely impacted the LNG megaproject’s progress and raised serious ethical and legal questions about corporate involvement in conflict zones.