Originally written and posted by Justica Ambiental, BankTrack, Friends of the Earth France, Reclaim Finance and urgewald
NGOs have denounced the decision by the Mozambican government and TotalEnergies to restart the Mozambique LNG project, announced today, following a suspension of almost five years. The project has faced a number of setbacks, including allegations that Mozambican armed forces committed war crimes against civilians at the project site. Two European governments — the United Kingdom and the Netherlands — withdrew support from the project, judging the risks to human rights to be too great. Justica Ambiental, Friends of the Earth France, Reclaim Finance and BankTrack say the decision is irresponsible and dangerous, and called on financial institutions not to finance Mozambique LNG.
The relaunch of the Mozambique LNG project comes after it was suspended in April 2021 following an escalation of violence in Cabo Delgado province, which culminated in a deadly attack on Palma at the gates of the gas site . But NGOs warn that there is still inadequate protection for the local community, given the unstable security situation, and that the harm suffered by communities has yet to be addressed.
TotalEnergies is currently facing allegations of human rights violations and is the subject of a judicial investigation in France for alleged involuntary manslaughter and failure to assist persons in danger during the attack on Palma in March and April 2021.
Following revelations by Politico, Le Monde, and SourceMaterial about the “container massacre,” Total is also the subject of a complaint for complicity in war crimes, torture, and enforced disappearances. It is accused of directly financing and materially supporting the Mozambican armed forces, which allegedly detained, tortured, and killed dozens of civilians at the gas site between July and September 2021.
Anabela Lemos, Director of Justiça Ambiental!, said: ” One of the poorest countries in the world, repeatedly devastated by environmental disasters, is being treated as a golden goose by multinationals like TotalEnergies, whose only concern is profit. With criminal disregard for human life, as thousands of people in Mozambique once again suffer the consequences of catastrophic floods, the company is reactivating and even celebrating its gas extraction project in an environmentally sensitive area of our country. This injustice is made possible by the irresponsible and unethical financing of financial institutions that continue to place corporate profits above human lives, environmental protection, and climate justice.”
“Announcing the relaunch of Mozambique LNG today is a cynical choice to pretend that the dead, the missing, and the displaced do not exist,” says Lorette Philippot, Private Finance Campaigner at Friends of the Earth France. “It is a deliberate decision to ignore the ongoing insecurity, the suffering of local communities, and the legal proceedings. Total persists in wanting to impose this project at any cost, even if it means making the Mozambicans pay a heavy price.”
Both the British and Dutch governments withdrew support from the project via their export credit agencies in 2025, following independent investigations. They had both previously supported the project.
Nearly 30 other financial institutions—including Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, Standard Chartered, ABSA, Nedbank and Rand Merchant Bank—had agreed to finance the project in 2020.
“Financial institutions must recognize the serious risks this project poses to the local population and withdraw their support,” says Antoine Bouhey, campaign coordinator at Reclaim Finance. “Any bank continuing to provide support could be liable for any human rights violations that occur.”
“The floods currently sweeping Mozambique, displacing thousands of people, are a brutal reminder of what climate risk looks like on the ground,” says Diogo Silva, Banks and Climate campaign lead, BankTrack. “Financing Mozambique LNG today means locking communities into deeper climate chaos tomorrow — while amplifying human rights abuses, environmental destruction and financial risk. For banks like Standard Chartered, ABSA, Nedbank and Rand Merchant Bank, with public climate and human rights commitments, continuing to back this project would be a clear failure of due diligence and responsibility. Banks still involved cannot claim alignment with climate or human rights commitments while backing a project that worsens both.”
“With the restart, TotalEnergies is ignoring the escalating security situation and enormous dangers for the people in the region. Still, Deutsche Bank regularly helps TotalEnergies raise new capital. German Investors continue to purchase new bonds from the oil and gas giant, providing capital for projects such as Mozambique LNG. Deutsche Bank, its investment subsidiary DWS, Union Investment, and Deka Investment must immediately withdraw their financial support for TotalEnergies. Otherwise, they will be complicit in this disastrous project,” says Sonja Meister, Energy Campaigner at urgewald.
