After nearly five years of suspension triggered by the security crisis in Cabo Delgado, TotalEnergies’ Mozambique LNG project is set to resume. The restart comes after major financial commitments, a sudden interruption, and ongoing legal and human rights controversies.

TotalEnergies announced in late January 2026 the full resumption of activities on the Mozambique LNG project. Construction is resuming nearly five years after the suspension announced in April 2021.

The restart comes in a security environment that remains fragile in Cabo Delgado. It also follows a series of decisions that have gradually made abandoning the project increasingly difficult.

A project designed from the outset as a major asset

Mozambique LNG took on greater strategic importance in 2019 when TotalEnergies announced the acquisition of Anadarko’s African assets. On Sept. 30, 2019, the group confirmed that the deal had closed, including the purchase of Anadarko’s 26.5% stake in the project for $3.9 billion, making TotalEnergies the operator of Area 1 in the Rovuma basin.

The project is based on two liquefaction trains with a capacity of around 13 million tonnes per year, supplied by the Golfinho and Atum fields. The final investment decision was made in June 2019, at a stage when the project was already largely secured commercially. TotalEnergies says nearly 90% of volumes are covered by long-term contracts with international buyers, mainly in Asia and Europe.

A major milestone was reached in July 2020 with the signing of a $14.9 billion senior debt financing package, for a total investment estimated at around $20 billion. The arrangement brought together several export credit agencies, commercial banks, and an African multilateral institution.

After the force majeure declared in 2021, TotalEnergies said in December 2025 that some public-backed support had not been renewed, but that the shortfall was offset by an additional equity contribution from the partners.

On Jan. 29, 2026, TotalEnergies announced the full resumption of onshore and offshore activities. At that stage, the project was about 40% complete, with several thousand workers deployed.

Security, human rights and legal proceedings

The security situation in Cabo Delgado began to deteriorate in 2017, with a steady increase in armed attacks. In 2020, a joint unit, the Joint Task Force, was established under a memorandum between TotalEnergies’ Mozambican subsidiary and the Mozambican state to help secure the Afungi site.

After attacks on the town of Palma in March 2021, TotalEnergies evacuated its personnel. On April 26, 2021, the group declared force majeure and suspended all activities.

Legal proceedings followed, with two separate cases. In 2023, survivors and relatives of victims of the Palma attack filed a complaint in France, accusing TotalEnergies of failing to ensure the security of subcontractors who were targeted. In March 2025, the Nanterre Prosecutor’s Office opened a preliminary investigation into TotalEnergies for involuntary manslaughter and failure to assist a person in danger.

At the same time, separate allegations relate to events said to have occurred between July and September 2021 on or near the Afungi site, in what has been described as a “container massacre.” These allegations first surfaced in September 2024 in reporting by Politico and were later covered by Le Monde and SourceMaterial.

In November 2025, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) filed a criminal complaint in France against TotalEnergies with the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office, accusing the company of complicity in war crimes, torture, and forced disappearances. The NGO alleges that TotalEnergies provided material and logistical support to the Joint Task Force despite prior knowledge of alleged human rights violations.

TotalEnergies rejects all accusations and says it never had knowledge of the alleged events. Amid these controversies, the company commissioned an independent mission to assess the situation in Cabo Delgado. The report, published in May 2023, led to an action plan and the creation of the Pamoja Tunaweza foundation, with a $200 million budget.

Political response and continuation of the project

A few days after the ECCHR complaint was filed, Mozambique’s newly elected president, Daniel Chapo, publicly denied that serious human rights violations had been committed by defense and security forces in Cabo Delgado. He said the accusations reported by the international press “are not true” and pointed to the commitment of judicial authorities and the National Human Rights Commission to examining the facts.

This position comes at a time when a significant share of the investment has already been committed, major equipment has been ordered, and contractual obligations have been maintained.

Mozambique LNG is now moving forward on a defined industrial timetable, with first LNG production expected in 2029, ten years after the final investment decision.

The project reflects economic and financial stakes that have become too large for the partners to abandon, despite ongoing security and environmental risks.

Abdoullah Diop