Survivors of Mozambique attack file complaint against TotalEnergies

In March 2021 Islamist militants launched an attack near a major gas field in northern Mozambique, killing dozens – perhaps hundreds – of people. On Tuesday, seven survivors and relatives of victims launched legal action against France’s TotalEnergies, saying it failed to protect its subcontractors during the days-long assault in Cabo Delgado province where it was developing a $20 billion liquefied natural gas project. The criminal complaint accuses TotalEnergies of involuntary manslaughter and failure to assist persons in danger. Total rejected the allegations, saying they were “inaccurate”. The company stopped work on the LNG project after the attack, but Patrick Pouyanné, Total’s chief executive, has indicated the work may be able to restart by the end of this year.