Mozambique’s National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) announced on Friday that it has launched an investigation into media reports detailing severe abuses by government soldiers against villagers fleeing terrorist unrest near a major TotalEnergies gas plant.
The probe follows a September Politico report, which alleged that soldiers assigned to protect the French fossil fuel giant’s site rounded up between 180 and 250 villagers after a significant attack in 2021. These individuals were reportedly locked in containers, accused of insurgency, and subjected to three months of beatings, suffocation, starvation, and torture, with only 26 surviving.
The CNDH stated that if true, these allegations “may constitute crimes of summary execution (murder), torture, and other cruel, degrading, or inhuman treatment.”
An investigative team has been deployed to the northern Cabo Delgado province to gather statements from witnesses and victims and to meet with representatives of Mozambique LNG, TotalEnergies’ local subsidiary.

The commission’s final report will include recommendations for accountability and potential reparations for victims, though no timeline was provided.
Mozambique LNG had previously stated last year that it did not know about the alleged atrocities, which are said to have occurred between April and July 2021.
The region has been plagued by Islamic State-linked militants since 2017. In March 2021, these militants attacked the port town of Palma, close to the TotalEnergies site, forcing thousands to flee.
Conflict tracker ACLED estimated over 800 civilian and combatant deaths from the broader conflict, while journalist Alex Perry’s investigation reported more than 1,400 dead or missing.
The multi-billion-dollar liquefied natural gas project, a significant economic prospect for Mozambique, has been stalled since the 2021 attack.