O TotalEnergies independent report confirms an improvement of the humanitarian situation in Cabo Delgado province, particularly with the return of people displaced by the conflict to the town of Palma and, to a lesser extent, to the town of Mocímboa da Praia.

The report evaluated the humanitarian operations and socio-economic development programs carried out by Mozambique LNG in Afungi since 2021. The document found that these actions have had a positive impact on the lives of the beneficiary populations.

"However, it recommends the creation of a dedicated structure with increased resources to further expand these programs and integrate them into an ambitious and sustainable local development strategy that covers the entire province, and not just guided by the security of the project site," reads a statement released today by TotalEnergies.

The humanitarian expert, Jean-Christophe Rufin, hired by the oil company, also recommends improving the roads so that the resettlement and compensation plans for the people affected by the development of the project in the Afungi industrial zone can be implemented as quickly as possible.

"These improvements concern, in particular, the updating of the inventories of the assets of those affected, the timetable for the payment of compensation, the provision of agricultural land and access to fishing grounds."

The note issued by TotalEnergies was commissioned in December 2022, and recalls that the conflict situation in Cabo Delgado "has origins that predate the gas development projects and finds its roots in multiple factors unrelated to Mozambique LNG".

In addition, the report notes that the security situation in northern Cabo Delgado evolved positively in 2022 and recommends reviewing the framework of relations between LNG Mozambique and the Mozambique Defense Forces in light of this situation.

A mission to monitor the implementation of this action plan will be carried out by Jean-Christophe Rufin at the request of the Mozambique LNG project partners.