French prosecutors announced on Saturday, May 4, that they are investigating oil giant TotalEnergies for possible involuntary manslaughter related to a 2021 jihadist attack in Mozambique.
The investigation follows a legal complaint filed by victims’ families and survivors of the attack, alleging that the French energy company failed to protect its subcontractors while developing a major gas liquefied gas project in the region, according to the prosecutors’ office.
A TotalEnergies spokesperson, contacted by Agence France-Presse (AFP), reiterated the company’s rejection of the accusations and stated that their Mozambique teams provided urgent aid and facilitated the evacuation of 2,500 individuals from the site, including civilians, staff, contractors, and subcontractors.
The survivors and families claim that TotalEnergies also did not supply fuel for helicopters to evacuate civilians after Islamic State-linked militants killed numerous people in the Mozambican port town of Palma on March 24, 2021.
The attack in Cabo Delgado province spanned several days, resulting in the loss of several hundred lives, with some victims being beheaded and thousands forced to flee their homes.