Mozambique probes claims of army atrocities near TotalEnergies site
Mozambique's human rights commission said on Friday it has opened an investigation into media reports of deadly abuses by government soldiers against villagers fleeing jihadist unrest near a major TotalEnergies gas plant.
Politico reported in September that soldiers tasked with protecting the French fossil fuel giant's site had rounded up villagers following a major attack in 2021 and locked between 180 and 250 into containers, accusing them of being part of an insurgency.
The men were held for three months and beaten, suffocated, starved and tortured, with only 26 surviving, according to the report by journalist Alex Perry based on interviews with survivors and witnesses.
"If true, the facts alleged in the article may constitute crimes of summary execution (murder) torture and other cruel, degrading or inhuman treatment," the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) said in a statement.
A team of investigators was in place and consulting with officials from the northern Cabo Delgado province, the statement said.
They would visit the area to collect statements from witnesses and victims, and also meet representatives of Mozambique LNG, the local subsidiary of France's TotalEnergies.
A final report would include recommendations on accountability and possible reparations for victims, it said, without giving a timeline.
Mozambique LNG said last year it had no knowledge of the atrocities alleged to have been carried out between April and July 2021.
In March 2021 Islamic State-linked militants active in Cabo Delgado since 2017 attacked the port town of Palma, a few kilometres from the TotalEnergies site, sending thousands of people fleeing.
Conflict tracker ACLED estimated that more than 800 civilians and combatants were killed while Perry reported, after an investigation, that more than 1,400 were dead or missing.
The multi-billion-dollar liquefied natural gas project, a major boon for impoverished Mozambique, has been stalled since then.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
8 hours ago
- eNCA
Pogba signs for Monaco, hoping to revive career
Paul Pogba has signed a two-year deal with Ligue 1 side Monaco to return to football after a near two-year absence, the club announced on Saturday. The 2018 World Cup winner has made only 12 appearances across the last three seasons due to injuries, an 18-month doping ban and an extortion case in which he was the victim. Pogba failed a drugs test in August 2023 after a match for Juventus and has been free to return to football since March, although his contract at the Italian giants had been terminated last year. The midfielder will now play club football in Ligue 1 for the first time in his professional career. "I am determined to get back on the pitch, mentally ready, physically ready, it's just a matter of time," the 32-year-old told French television last weekend. Pogba played in the Le Havre youth team before signing for Manchester United in 2009. He made only a handful of first-team appearances for the three-time European champions before signing for Juventus in 2012. Pogba won four consecutive Serie A titles in Turin before rejoining United for a then-world record 105 million euros ($123 million). He moved back to Juventus three years ago but struggled with a series of injuries. In 2024, his brother Mathias was sentenced to three years in prison, with two years suspended, for his role in a plot to extort 13 million euros from Pogba in 2022. Pogba has scored 11 goals in 91 appearances for the France national team, playing a starring role and scoring in their World Cup final victory over Croatia seven years ago.
eNCA
a day ago
- eNCA
Mozambique probes claims of army atrocities near TotalEnergies site
Mozambique's human rights commission said on Friday it has opened an investigation into media reports of deadly abuses by government soldiers against villagers fleeing jihadist unrest near a major TotalEnergies gas plant. Politico reported in September that soldiers tasked with protecting the French fossil fuel giant's site had rounded up villagers following a major attack in 2021 and locked between 180 and 250 into containers, accusing them of being part of an insurgency. The men were held for three months and beaten, suffocated, starved and tortured, with only 26 surviving, according to the report by journalist Alex Perry based on interviews with survivors and witnesses. "If true, the facts alleged in the article may constitute crimes of summary execution (murder) torture and other cruel, degrading or inhuman treatment," the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) said in a statement. A team of investigators was in place and consulting with officials from the northern Cabo Delgado province, the statement said. They would visit the area to collect statements from witnesses and victims, and also meet representatives of Mozambique LNG, the local subsidiary of France's TotalEnergies. A final report would include recommendations on accountability and possible reparations for victims, it said, without giving a timeline. Mozambique LNG said last year it had no knowledge of the atrocities alleged to have been carried out between April and July 2021. In March 2021 Islamic State-linked militants active in Cabo Delgado since 2017 attacked the port town of Palma, a few kilometres from the TotalEnergies site, sending thousands of people fleeing. Conflict tracker ACLED estimated that more than 800 civilians and combatants were killed while Perry reported, after an investigation, that more than 1,400 were dead or missing. The multi-billion-dollar liquefied natural gas project, a major boon for impoverished Mozambique, has been stalled since then.
eNCA
a day ago
- eNCA
China's top diplomat to visit EU, Germany, France next week
China's top diplomat Wang Yi will head to Europe next week for talks with counterparts from the European Union, Germany and France, Beijing said on Friday as it seeks to shore up fraught ties with the bloc. Beijing has sought to improve relations with Europe as a counterweight to superpower rival United States, though frictions remain over trade and China's close ties with Russia despite its war in Ukraine. China and the European Union will also host a summit next month marking 50 years since Beijing and Brussels established diplomatic ties. Wang's trip will take him to Brussels, France and Germany and last from next Monday to Sunday, Beijing said. "The world is undergoing an accelerated evolution of a century-old change, with unilateralism, protectionism and bullying behaviour becoming rampant," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said -- a thinly-veiled swipe against the United States under President Donald Trump. China's top diplomat will meet with EU counterpart Kaja Kallas at the bloc's headquarters in Brussels for "high-level strategic dialogue", he said. In Germany he will hold talks with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on diplomacy and security -- his first visit since Berlin's new conservative-led government took power in May. China looks forward to "strengthening strategic communication, enhancing pragmatic cooperation, and promoting new developments of the China-Germany comprehensive strategic partnership," Guo said. Ties between Berlin and Beijing, he added, were "injecting certainty, stability, and positive energy into a turbulent world". In France, Wang will meet minister for Europe and foreign affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, who visited China in March. "Foreign Minister Wang Yi will exchange views with the French side on the international situation, China-France ties and China-Europe relations," Guo said. And in Brussels Wang will also hold talks with Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, Beijing said. - Trade spat - Ties between Europe and China have strained in recent years as the bloc seeks to get tougher on what it says are unfair economic practices by Beijing and the yawning trade imbalance between them. After the European Union placed tariffs on Chinese EV imports, China retaliated with its own duties, including on French cognac. An agreement on cognac has been reached with Beijing but not yet formally approved by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, a source in the French Economy Ministry told AFP. The source said finalization was partially linked with the EU's ongoing negotiations over electric vehicles. Tensions mounted last week after the European Union banned Chinese firms from government medical device purchases worth more than five million euros ($5.8 million), in retaliation for limits Beijing places on access to its own market. The latest salvo in trade tensions between the 27-nation bloc and China covered a wide range of healthcare supplies, from surgical masks to X-ray machines, that represent a market worth 150 billion euros ($176 billion) in the EU. In response, China accused the EU of "double standards". Another tricky point has been rare earths. Beijing has since April required licences to export these strategic materials from China, which accounts for more than 60 percent of rare earth mining production and 92 percent of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency. The metals are used in a wide variety of products, including electric car batteries, and there has been criticism from industries about the way China's licences have been issued. China has proposed establishing a "green channel" to ease the export of rare earths to the European Union, its commerce ministry said this month. By Mary Yang
