Mozambique attack survivors file complain against energy giant Total Energies

 

Survivors and relatives of victims of a 2021 insurgent attack in Mozambique have filed a complaint against Total Energies TTEF.PA for negligence and indirect manslaughter, saying the company had failed to ensure the safety of subcontractors.

Total Energies rejected the allegations, saying they were “inaccurate.”

Islamist insurgents attacked the port city of Palma in March 2021, killing many civilians in areas close to Mozambique LNG infrastructure projects, owned in part by Total Energies.

The plaintiffs – including three survivors and four relatives of victims who died in an ambush – allege that Total Energies failed to inform subcontractors of the risks of possible attacks or of the progress of such attacks, and did not have proper safety or evacuation plans in place.

The complaint alleges that a private security company’s helicopter rescuing people who had taken refuge in a hotel was stopped due to a lack of fuel, and that Total Energies had refused a request for fuel on the grounds of not wanting to be associated with a private security company.

Some subcontractors tried to escape from the hotel with a convoy of vehicles, which was then ambushed, leaving several dead, the plaintiffs said.

“It’s quite rare to presume that a company could be indicted and prosecuted for indirect manslaughter … But here you have a series of negligences that contributed to a situation that allowed the loss of many lives,” said Henri Thulliez, a lawyer who represents the plaintiffs.

“It is not alleged that Total Energies directly caused the deaths of victims but that the company did not act in accordance with the expected diligence standards of a professional in its responsibilities,” lawyers for the plaintiffs said in a statement.

Total Energies denied the allegations, saying it did have a security plan and had carried it out.

“During the attack on the city of Palma, and according to the information we have, all Mozambique LNG personnel and their contractors and subcontractors were evacuated,” TotalEnergies said.

The company said the Mozambique LNG group’s security plan was for the subcontractors to shelter in place and be evacuated by ferry.

Total Energies said the security situation had improved in the region, where it plans to restart the project before the end of the year.

Source: Reuters

Four suspects apprehended by SERNIC for their involvement in the kidnapping of a businessman in Maputo

This Monday in Maputo, the Criminal Investigation Service announced the arrest of four suspects in the kidnapping on September 27. 

A businessman who was at his location in the heart of the city is the victim of the kidnapping. 

SERNIC additionally aims to free the victim from captivity and establish the truth about the incident.

Notwithstanding a fourth consecutive month of declining inflation, prices remain unchanged in Mozambique, as reported by A Verdade

Mozambique is in a position to benefit from opportunities in the free trade zone in Africa.

According to the Minister of Industry and Commerce, the conditions are now favorable for positioning the nation on the global stage in order to benefit from the opportunities presented by the African continental free trade zone.

According to Silvino Moreno, the President of the Republic's package of economic acceleration measures and the recent start of liquefied natural gas export are evidence of the nation's progress.

This past Friday, Moreno gave a speech in Maputo at the start of a conference on the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Hipólito Hamela, the Economic Advisor at the Mozambican Chamber of Commerce, argues that in order to compete, a business environment must be created.

African Continental Free Trade Area: Opportunities and Advantages for Mozambique is the theme of the meeting on the African Continental Free Trade Area, which brings together representatives of the government, cooperative partners, and businesspeople.

In order to facilitate the movement of goods, services, and people across the African continent, the African Continental Free Trade Area aims to establish a single market that unites the 55 African economies.

Passenger rail service between Mozambique and the Kingdom of Esvathine to resume

This Saturday, passenger rail service between Mozambique and the Kingdom of Esvathine will resume.

This occurs two decades after the two countries' services were terminated.

The first locomotive to transport passengers to the Kingdom of Esvathine will leave Maputo Central Station at 06:00 on the 19th, bound for the Matsapa region, about seven kilometers from Mazzimi, the neighboring country's second largest city.

The President of the Association of Micro-importers of Mozambique, Sudecar Novela, points out that this development will cut costs in commercial mobility.

With the passenger transport train running between Mozambique and the Kingdom of Esvathine, the two countries' commercial ties will be strengthened once more.

The trip will take five to six hours and will cost 1250 meticais.

Commercial operators welcome the resumption of passenger rail transport between Mozambique and the Kingdom of Esvathine.

The government guarantees that retroactive TSU payments will begin this month.

The government promised payment of retroactives related to the implementation of the Single Salary Table, or TSU as of  this November.

The assurance was provided by Carla Louveira, deputy minister of economy and finance, during the customary media briefing that followed the Council of Ministers' regular session.

Carla Louveira gave the assurance that the government would also protect grants for various professional groups.

These remarks were made by the Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance at the conclusion of the Council of Ministers' 39th session.

The government made sure that the reasonableness between the management, leadership, and trust functions and professional careers is protected in the implementation of the Single Salary Table on Wednesday as well.

Inocêncio Impissa, Deputy Minister of State Administration and Civil Service, disclosed the information.

Inocêncio Impissa reiterated that the framework commission for the implementation of the TSU is still open to resolve any cases that arise as a result of this process.

Mozambique seeking more and better cyclone early warning systems

To this end, the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, paid a visit to the VARSLA Corporation, a firm that makes cyclone early warning radars, on Thursday in Helsinki, Finland.

Given that the early warning system in Beira, province of Sofala, was installed by the same company, President Nyusi was impressed with what he observed during the demonstration of the systems.

Verónica Macamo, the minister responsible for business and international cooperation in Mozambique, said that the nation is concerned about finding ways to mitigate the effects of natural disasters, which recur periodically in the country.

On Thursday, President Filipe Nyusi traveled to Maputo and paid a visit to a company called VASLA that built the Ressano Garcia CTRG thermoelectric power station as well as a teacher training facility at the University of Helsinki.