TotalEnergies rejects war crime allegations over Mozambique operations

TotalEnergies SE on Thursday rejected accusations of "complicity in war crimes" related to its Mozambique operations, following a complaint by a European rights group.

The Paris-based energy company denied involvement in "torture and enforced disappearances" and said it had no knowledge of violence reported in media coverage underpinning the complaint filed by the European Center for Constitutional & Human Rights.

The complaint, submitted to France's National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office, follows a September 2024 article by US-based digital media outlet Politico, alleging abuses by Mozambican soldiers near the Mozambique liquefied natural gas site between June and September 2021.

TotalEnergies stated that all personnel had been evacuated from the site in April 2021, following a deadly terrorist attack in Palma, and that the Mozambican army had since taken control of the area.

The company emphasised that security at the Mozambique LNG site was the responsibility of the state, and that its relationship with the Mozambican Joint Task Force was governed by a now-expired memorandum of understanding.

The agreement included strict human rights safeguards, including the training of over 5,000 personnel in the voluntary principles on security and human rights and establishing a grievance mechanism.

TotalEnergies said it had not been formally served with the complaint and firmly rejected all allegations, citing internal reviews and stakeholder consultations that found no evidence of wrongdoing.

"TotalEnergies strongly and categorically rejects Politico's allegation that Mozambique LNG or the company had, or could have had, any knowledge of the acts of violence reported in the Politico article and underpinning the complaint," said the company in a statement.

The company also criticised Politico for refusing to share supporting documentation and for what it described as "selective use" of TotalEnergies' responses.

In 2024, Mozambique LNG formally requested a government investigation into the claims, which was launched by the Mozambican Attorney General in March 2025.

TotalEnergies said it has also asked the Mozambique National Human Rights Commission to conduct an independent inquiry and pledged to publish its findings.