French prosecutors are investigating TotalEnergies SE for possible involuntary manslaughter in relation to a jihadist attack in Mozambique three years ago, Agence France-Presse reported.
The probe follows a legal complaint last October by victims’ families and survivors, alleging that the French energy giant failed to protect its subcontractors, according to AFP, citing the prosecutor’s office in Nanterre, near Paris. They also allege that TotalEnergies, which was developing a liquefied natural gas project in the region, failed to provide fuel so that helicopters could evacuate civilians.
An Islamic State-linked insurgency in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province prompted TotalEnergies to stall the $20 billion LNG project, after a raid on Palma in March 2021 left dozens of people dead. The town served as a base for many subcontractors.
A TotalEnergies spokesman told AFP that it “firmly rejects the accusations.” He said the company’s Mozambique teams had supplied urgent aid, helping to evacuate 2,500 people from the plant, including civilians, staff, contractors and subcontractors.
Prosecutors have gathered both the firm’s and the plaintiffs’ observations and will assess whether there are grounds to investigate the matter further.
The prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg News.
TotalEnergies hopes to resume building the LNG development by the middle of this year, after the attack prompted the company to declare force majeure on the project. It’s one of Africa’s biggest private investments and has the potential to transform the economy of one of the world’s poorest nations.
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