The Dutch government has launched an independent inquiry into the veracity of reports of alleged human rights violations committed by Mozambican military personnel in the area concessioned to the French multinational, TotalEnergies, for the development of the liquefied natural gas project in Cabo Delgado province.

Dutch Finance Minister, Eelco Heinen, said in a letter dated March 4, which requested an external entity to conduct the analysis on alleged human rights violations by Mozambican security forces in the context of the Mozambique [liquefied natural gas] project.

"This will include the role of the various security actors in the region and their relationship with the project owner, Total," reads the document quoted by the portal Politics, European edition.

This order follows a report in the same newspaper of September 26, 2024in which he refers to the atrocities committed by national troops.

The reports are said to have outraged the European Union from the outset, even after TotalEnergies' subsidiary in Mozambique claimed there was no evidence of the complaint. And in this regard, Político warns that the investigation may serve to verify the validity of the allegations of "lack of evidence".

Why is the Netherlands interested?

The Dutch government provides export support for the Dutch company Van Oord to build a gas pipeline for the LNG project in Mozambique, but has stopped the support since the project was suspended by Force Majeure.

The results of the independent investigation will be presented to the Dutch House of Representatives before the Dutch government decides whether or not to continue with export support for the project.

On Tuesday, the Attorney General's Office launched criminal proceedings into allegations of kidnapping, rape and murder against "unknown" members of the security services who guarded TotalEnergies' facilities.