Report on the socioeconomic, humanitarian and human rights situation in the PalmaAfungi-Mocímboa area (Cabo Delgado)

Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, entrusted Jean-Christophe Rufin in December 2022, on behalf of the partners of the Mozambique LNG project, with an independent mission to assess the humanitarian situation in the province of Cabo Delgado where the project is located. Jean-Christophe Rufin, a recognized expert in the field humanitarian action and human rights, has carried out several investigation field trips in Mozambique. TotalEnergies publishes his report as well as the action plan decided by Mozambique LNG partners based on the recommendations of the report. The report recalls that the conflict in the province of Cabo Delgado has origins pre-dating the gas development projects and finds its roots in multiple factors not related to Mozambique LNG. It assesses the humanitarian operations and the socio-economic development programs undertaken by Mozambique LNG around the Afungi site since 2021. The report assesses the humanitarian operations and the socio-economic development programs undertaken by Mozambique LNG around the Afungi site since 2021. It notes an improved humanitarian situation in the north of Cabo Delgado, in particular with the return of the populations displaced by the conflict to the town of Palma and to a lesser degree to the town of Mocímboa da Praia. The report highlights the execution quality of the actions undertaken by Mozambique LNG and their positive impact on the living conditions of local population. However it recommends the establishment of a dedicated structure with increased resources to further expand these programs and to integrate them into an ambitious and sustainable strategy of local development covering the whole province, and not only guided by the security of the project site. Regarding the populations affected by the development of the Afungi industrial site, Jean-Christophe Rufin recommends several avenues of improvements to finalize in the best conditions the implementation of the resettlement plan and ensure the compensation of affected persons in accordance with the best practices. These improvements relate in particular to the update of the inventories of the affected persons’ assets, the payment timeline of compensations, the provision of agricultural land and the access to fishing areas.