TotalEnergies under scrutiny after deadly jihadist attack in Mozambique

French prosecutors have launched an investigation against TotalEnergies for manslaughter and failing to assist people in danger during the jihadist attack in Mozambique.

The details of the investigation were shared in the latest piece by Qiraat Africa, per Caliber.Az.

The attack occurred in March 2021 when Islamist rebels targeted the port city of Palma, killing numerous civilians near Mozambique’s gas infrastructure projects, which are partly owned by TotalEnergies.

Survivors and relatives of victims filed a complaint in France in late 2023, accusing the company of neglecting the safety of subcontractors. This prompted the French prosecutors to open a preliminary investigation.

In response, TotalEnergies issued a statement saying, “TotalEnergies was informed of the launch of a judicial investigation into the terrorist attacks in Mozambique in March 2021.”

The company strongly denied the allegations, adding that its teams from the Mozambique LNG project had provided emergency assistance and evacuated over 2,500 people.

The investigation is now set to determine if there are grounds to take TotalEnergies’ case to court.

French media has reported that prosecutors from Nanterre, near Paris, are overseeing the investigation.

In a related development, the U.S. Export-Import Bank’s board of directors approved a $5 billion loan for the Mozambique LNG project, removing a significant barrier to restarting the project, which had been halted due to the Islamist attacks.

By Tamilla Hasanova