Social activists and political analysts question the level of transparency of the Independent Commission announced by the French multinational TotalEnergies to assess the security and humanitarian situation, as well as the actions carried out by the oil company, in Cabo Delgado province..

According to an official statement, the commission, which will be headed by Jean Christophe Rufin, who was French ambassador to Senegal and Gambia between 2007 and 2010, should deliver its report by the end of this month, which will serve as the basis for decisions on the resumption of natural gas exploration activities in the Palma district.

The Network of Human Rights Defenders contests the commission on the grounds that it is flawed.

"What has been announced is wrong. The creation of an Independent Commission is not done by the company; it is done by appropriate bodies, with terms of reference created by the state," Adriano Nuvunga, president of the network, told VOA.

In the same vein, political analyst Gil Aníbal believes that it would be a problematic report if local players were not included in the commission.

"It's legitimate for TotalEnergies to take the decision it did, but it would be problematic to create a so-called independent commission without including local actors, namely the government and communities. This would result in a report that I don't think would be inclusive, which it can't be," said Aníbal.

The source also believes it is necessary to clarify who will be responsible for the costs of the commission's work.

"The work will not be free (...) it is necessary to clarify, at the end of the day, who will be responsible for the final bill," he said.