The Ministry of National Defense (MDN) denies and regrets the accusations that the Defense Security Forces (FDS) are committing torture, violence and atrocities against civilians outside the TotalEnergies facilities on the Afungi peninsula, Palma district, Cabo Delgado province.

A recent publication on the London portal politico.eu says that the population of Afungi was horrified by the SDF when they sought refuge there, while fleeing crossfire between the SDF and Islamic terrorists during the summer of 2021.

"The soldiers accused the villagers of being members of the insurgency. They separated the men - a group of between 180 and 250 - from the women and children. They crammed them into shipping containers on either side of the entrance, beating, kicking and hitting them with rifle butts," describes the portal.

It also reports that the men were kept in the containers for three months.

"They beat, suffocated, starved, tortured and finally killed their detainees. In the end, only 26 prisoners survived," it reads.

According to the MDN, the accusatory acts described in the publication "have no factual elements to support them".

Meanwhile, the publication reports that the French authorities are already investigating TotalEnergies' management over the deaths of the firm's employees.

It also says that questions are being raised about TotalEnergies' links with the Mozambican military, describing them as torturers.

"The activities of the FADM in Cabo Delgado have been exclusively focused on combating terrorist acts, protecting the population and their property, as well as ensuring security in areas threatened by terrorists. It reiterates its commitment to continue to guarantee the defense of the sovereignty and integrity of the national territory, as well as the protection of the populations and their property so that the country can continue to reap the fruits of peace and consolidate the socio-economic development agenda," reads the statement to which we have had access.