French energy giant TotalEnergies is embroiled in a legal and ethical controversy following allegations of complicity in war crimes during a 2021 massacre near its multi-billion-dollar gas project in northern Mozambique. The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) has filed a complaint with French prosecutors, accusing the company of enabling the torture and execution of dozens of civilians by local security forces at its facility. The incident occurred in the resource-rich Cabo Delgado province, where government troops were combating Islamist militants linked to the Islamic State group. TotalEnergies has consistently denied responsibility for the actions of the security forces involved in guarding its Afungi peninsula gas refinery development, which was Africa’s largest foreign investment project at the time. The massacre followed a brutal Islamist attack on the town of Palma, where 1,563 civilians were killed or kidnapped near TotalEnergies’ gas plant. Investigative journalist Alex Perry, who first documented the tragedy, described it as the ‘bloodiest disaster in oil and gas history.’ The complaint highlights the ethical dilemmas faced by corporations operating in conflict zones and calls for accountability. Environmental campaigners are urging the UK and Dutch governments to withdraw financial support for TotalEnergies’ liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique, citing the severity of the allegations. Critics draw parallels between TotalEnergies’ actions and those of Lafarge, another French company currently on trial for allegedly funding jihadist groups in Syria. Despite the controversy, supporters argue that the project could bring significant economic benefits to a neglected region of Africa.