France's TotalEnergies faces manslaughter probe over Mozambique attack
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French prosecutors have launched a homicide probe into TotalEnergies over its role in failing to protect subcontractors during the 2021 terrorist attack in Mozambique.
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The logo of TotalEnergies is seen at the company's headquarters skyscraper in the La Defense business district in Courbevoie near Paris, France, on March 1, 2023. (AP)
French prosecutors said Saturday they had opened a manslaughter investigation against energy giant TotalEnergies following a bloody 2021 terrorist attack in Mozambique.
In October 2023, many survivors and relatives of victims of an attack at a large gas field in northern Mozambique filed a lawsuit against the oil and gas company, accusing it of failing to secure its subcontractors.
The complainants applauded the move, and one survivor, Nicholas Alexander, told AFP that the complainants were concerned that the French company was "too big, too influential, too powerful" to be examined in connection with the attack, adding that they were "very happy that's gone ahead."
The prosecutor's office in Nanterre, west of Paris, told AFP that the inquiry into involuntary manslaughter and failing to aid those in danger began on Friday.
In March 2021, ISIS assaulted the coastal town of Palma, killing scores of people and forcing others to escape into the nearby woodland.
The invasion of the Cabo Delgado province lasted many days. Several of the victims were decapitated, and TotalEnergies paused its $20 billion LNG project following the attack but hopes to revive it.
"TotalEnergies will fully cooperate with this investigation," the business announced on Saturday. It has previously "strongly rejected" the charges.
Seven British and South African complainants, including survivors and victims' relatives, have accused TotalEnergies (formerly Total) of failing to protect subcontractors before an attack near Palma in 2021. The company faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and neglecting to assist those in danger.
While Mozambique's government reported around 30 deaths, an investigation by journalist Alex Perry found that 1,402 people were dead or missing, including 55 contractors. The al-Shabaab group, responsible for the attack, has been active in the Cabo Delgado province since 2017.
TotalEnergies is also accused of refusing to supply gasoline to a South African security firm that coordinated helicopter rescues from a besieged hotel during the incident. The firm finally ran out of fuel, leaving passengers stuck inside.
The complainants' lawyers, Vincent Brengarth and Henri Thulliez, described the initiation of the investigation as "a decisive step for the victims of the Palma massacre in Mozambique," noting they were eager to be heard.
Janik Armstrong, whose husband Adrian Nel was killed during the siege, revealed that she and 150 others were stranded at Amarula Lodge for two days, waiting for rescue from TotalEnergies or Mozambican security forces, but no help came.
After realizing they had been abandoned, they attempted to flee but were ambushed by attackers. TotalEnergies claimed that all staff and contractors were evacuated, mainly by boat.
The corporation also claimed that it had provided petrol for the rescue mission.
The raid prompted the deployment of soldiers from Rwanda and other African countries, who have subsequently helped Mozambique restore control of much of Cabo Delgado.
TotalEnergies is trying to resume the long-delayed project, and the US Export-Import Bank authorized a $4.7 billion credit to the business this week.
TotalEnergies owns a 26.5% interest in the project, which plans to export gas mostly to Asian markets.
On Friday, several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) released a united statement urging European and Asian funders "to refuse to follow this toxic and irresponsible lead and to oppose the restart of the project, a climate bomb associated with numerous allegations of human rights violations."
