President Daniel Chapo has denied claims of serious human rights violations allegedly committed by security forces in Palma, Cabo Delgado.

The allegations were published in the London-based publication Politico, on 26 September, in an article entitled: “All must be beheaded: revelation of atrocities at French energy giant’s African stronghold.” The criminal complaint was filed by the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) against Total Energies. The complaint accused the company of alleged complicity in war crimes, torture and enforced disappearances against civilians in Cabo Delgado, where the company heads the Mozambique LNG Project, located on the Afungi peninsula, in Palma.

The criminal complaint, filed in France, claims that “the company directly financed and materially supported the Joint Task Force, set up by the Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM), which between July and September 2021 allegedly detained, tortured and killed dozens of civilians on TotalEnergies’ gas site. The complaint has been filed with the French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor (PNAT), which also has a mandate to investigate international crimes.’

Chapo dismissed the allegations as false during a visit to the provincial National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) in Pemba.