The environmental non-governmental organisation Friends of the Earth called this Tuesday (2) for the withdrawal of international financial support for the natural gas megaproject led by TotalEnergies in Cabo Delgado province, urging countries such as Italy, Japan, the United States of America and South Africa to follow the United Kingdom’s decision, after it officially announced the end of its involvement.
According to Lusa, the appeal comes days after the British Government informed Parliament in London of the termination of the United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF) agency’s participation in the Mozambique LNG project, a decision justified by the increased risks associated with the investment as well as its alleged incompatibility with British strategic interests. UKEF’s support amounted to 1.1 billion dollars (91.3 billion meticais), approved in 2020.
According to Friends of the Earth, the project has “a huge carbon footprint” and represents “a climate time bomb”, with estimates suggesting that its operation could generate around 4.5 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over its lifecycle — a volume higher than the combined annual emissions of the 27 Member States of the European Union.
The organisation’s executive director, Asad Rehman, argues that the British Government “acted correctly” in withdrawing support from a venture he describes as “deeply harmful and controversial”, further accusing the French multinational of indirect involvement in human rights violations.
These accusations align with a criminal complaint filed in November by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) with France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office. The complaint accuses TotalEnergies of alleged complicity in war crimes, including torture and enforced disappearances, through its support for the joint task force composed of Mozambican forces. The company denies any involvement.
In response, the President of the Republic, Daniel Chapo, rejected the accusations and reaffirmed that the National Human Rights Commission carried out exhaustive investigations in Cabo Delgado without finding evidence to support such claims. “We did not identify the issues raised by newspapers and supposed international investigators,” he stated.
The Mozambique LNG project, valued at 20 billion dollars (1.6 trillion meticais), was suspended for more than four years due to insecurity in the region but is preparing to resume activities. The Mozambican Government has given TotalEnergies a 30-day deadline to present its restart schedule, emphasising that it should not depend on the completion of the audit into costs incurred during the force majeure period.
