“Recently, reports have come to light of heinous crimes committed in Afungi by Mozambican soldiers working for the French company TotalEnergies,” the lawmakers said in their written question.
The French energy giant had contracted a Mozambican security unit to defend the plant despite warnings that some soldiers had allegedly carried out human rights abuses.
TotalEnergies told POLITICO it had “no knowledge of the alleged events described” nor “any information indicating that such events took place.”
The lawmakers are pressing the Commission to call on the Mozambican government to hold accountable and punish those responsible for the atrocities. They also seek clarity on the EU’s stance regarding the involvement of TotalEnergies, a company headquartered in the bloc, and called on the Commission to enforce EU regulations mandating companies mitigate their negative impacts on human rights.
In response to a question by POLITICO, the Commission said it would address the matter through Parliament.