‘Security improves in Cabo Delgado as TotalEnergies plots come back to oil gas rich province’ 17 April 2023

Although insurgents remain active in the Mocímboa da Praia district of Cabo Delgado in Mozambique, clashes with security forces in the greater part of the province have subsided, giving hope to the return of TotalEnergies by July. According to the latest situational report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), the reporting month of February saw a huge reduction in deaths to 20, from 71 recorded deaths in January. This was because of "the reduction in insurgent battles against Mozambique’s defence and security forces, international forces, and community militias known as Local Forces". Since November last year, the situation has been gradually improving in the oil gas rich province.

… In February, TotalEnergies enlisted Jean-Christophe Rufin, a recognised expert in humanitarian action and human rights, with an independent mission to assess the humanitarian situation in Cabo Delgado. He was due to submit a report by the end of February to TotalEnergies, which was then expected to share it with all stakeholders in the Mozambican liquified natural gas sector. The report has not been made public but Fernando Lima, a researcher on the security situation in Mozambique, told News24 that TotalEnergies was preparing to restart work on the Afungi peninsula, in the Palma district, during the second half of this year. "Their plan is to be on the ground by July. This was revealed by the chief executive officer of Saipem, an engineering company contracted by TotalEneriges," he said.

… Some of the grievances of the local communities that insurgents capitalised on were the sidelining of locals from the gas projects. This time around, Lima said there was an effort to integrate locals as well as improve the living conditions of people in the Afungi area in Palma where the project is concentrated. "They are working on improving living circumstances for residents of the communities close to the Afungi site… But TotalEnegies CEO Patrick Pouyanné is on record saying they were not entirely to blame for the disruption of livelihoods of communities around the project. "There have been some controversies about human rights around the project, not because of us. We inherited that from the Anadarko acquisition,” Pouyanné told investors in February. The now defunct Anadarko Petroleum Corporation was on the ground before TotalEnergies bought a stake in the firm.