TotalEnergies denies allegations and claims no workforce was lost during the attack. The company halted plant construction following the assault but resumed last month, aiming for gas production by 2029.
Pouyanné disclosed that since 2021, his company faced an additional $4.5 billion in costs, for which he seeks reimbursement from the Mozambican government. The project relies on $14.9 billion in loans, some of which are in jeopardy.
UK Export Finance, which committed $1.1 billion, has withheld funds pending an investigation into container killings. The Dutch government, which promised $1.2 billion, is also investigating. U.S. environmentalists are challenging the U.S. Export-Import Bank’s $4.7 billion loan in court.
Lorette Philippot from Friends of the Earth France, supporting ECCHR’s legal action, emphasized the seriousness of allegations against TotalEnergies as a potential stop for Mozambique LNG’s financial backers.
Evidence in ECCHR’s complaint includes photographs and internal TotalEnergies documents, obtained via Freedom of Information requests. These reveal the company’s awareness of its Mozambican guards’ routine human rights abuses, including killings, and an increase in incidents post-Palma attack. TotalEnergies’ reports detail multiple abuses by the Joint Task Force soldiers at its gas plant between June and September 2021. After an August 2021 incident, the company penalized 1,000 soldiers’ pay and 200 soldiers were removed by the Mozambican army.
“Despite this knowledge,” wrote ECCHR, “TotalEnergies continued to support the Joint Task Force, providing accommodation, food, equipment, and bonuses — while stating bonuses would be revoked for human rights violations.”
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