"Only after the last tree has been cut down, Only after the last river has been poisoned, Only after the last fish has been caught, Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten." Cree Indian Prophecy
In the early hours of 19 October, 2024, Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe were brutally murdered, their bodies riddled with bullets, at the behest of someone who believed that this would silence the VOICE of the people that these two citizens made a point to defend! Five months ago today. In the last five months, the murderers have not been identified, nor have the masterminds, nor is there any effort to solve this and other heinous crimes that have been committed in our country. There is no justice! Since then, many more Mozambican citizens have been silenced in the same brutal way, many others have simply disappeared, and even more remain lost in the meanders of our prison system… deliberately forgotten and mistreated in our police stations and prisons, in a deliberate strategy to stifle and repress our constitutional right to protest. While this and other unsolved crimes remain like a gangrene in our social fabric, our Attorney General’s Office is carrying out investigations that are exposing their politicised and partisan nature.
It is with great anger and sadness that we remember our comrade Elvino, who was always ready to defend the rights of the poorest, most forgotten and most vulnerable people in our country… it is with even greater anger that we continue to witness the total devaluation of the lives of Mozambicans, we are killed for demonstrating, killed for passing near a gathering, killed for thinking differently, killed for no longer agreeing to stand by and watch our country being squandered, killed for pointing out the serious violations of the law, the rampant corruption that everyone swears to fight only to show that it is possible to loot even more… killed for denouncing the constant and endless plunder of the state coffers, the abuse of power, the arrogance and incompetence that is paraded in our public institutions.
Never before in the history of independent Mozambique has our ethical and moral compass pointed to such a deep abyss. From electoral fraud, which Elvino decided to fight “to the end”, to corruption at the highest levels, to the partisanship of the state, to the serious and constant violations of human rights, to the open incitement to hatred and violence by those who misrule our country, we have never sunk so low. However, despite the evidence and the current state of our country, the support of the Global North remains… just so that they can continue to exploit and profit, their greed to exploit our wealth is so superior and “makes impossible” the countless hollow commitments to freedom, democracy, justice and human rights! But we don’t even need to go that far, even African governments, our own brothers and sisters, also pretend not to see while the Mozambican government violates all the precepts of freedom of expression, of demonstration and the most basic human rights, the right to life, perhaps in the hope that the awakening of the people will not spread to their own dynasties.
Today, 18 March, we write these lines and remember Elvino Dias, to the sound of gunfire, because today the People have decided to honor and celebrate their heroes by decreeing a People’s holiday. 18 March marks 2 years since our beloved rapper-activist Azagaia died and the police attacked the mourners as we mourned our fallen hero at his funeral. The police have decided to maintain “order” and “tranquility” in the way they do best, by arresting and killing! As dead, we certainly won’t be able to protest! As dead, we certainly won’t be able to shut down roads or display our posters with our heroes! How many more will have to die before they realize that the more of us they kill, the more revolt they create? How many more have to die before the country comes to a standstill? What do they think, that guns will guarantee peace? We can’t all be silenced!
As dissenting voices are silenced one by one, or two by two with bullets in their cars, we are not just witnessing political crimes, but the crumbling of the very moral fabric that should unite us as a nation. To all those who stubbornly continue to raise their voices, who stubbornly continue to demand justice, freedom and rights for all… the struggle continues!
The Maputo City Administrative Court (TACM in its Portuguese abbreviation) has just ordered the Mphanda Nkuwa Hydroelectric Project Implementation Office (GMNK) and the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME) to provide the information requested by Mozambican organisation Justiça Ambiental (JA!). In case no. 63/2024, JA! had appealed to the Court requesting that the GMNK and MIREME be ordered to provide information on safeguarding the fundamental rights of local communities affected by the implementation of the controversial Mphanda Nkuwa dam, proposed to be built on the Zambezi River in Tete province.
Background
The battle for access to information relating to the latest stage of the Mphanda Nkuwa project has been going on since 2019. Since then, JA! has made numerous and successive attempts to obtain information from the GMNK, through letters and even meetings, about the studies that will be carried out and their respective terms of reference, how new components will be integrated into the studies (bearing in mind that issues such as climate change, for example, have never been covered in previous studies), how the project will ensure that the voices and rights of local communities will be respected, among many other questions. Despite an apparent openness to dialogue with JA!, the GMNK has always limited itself to evasive, superficial answers, without providing any of the documents requested.
On March 6th 2024, JA! once again formally requested information on measures to protect the fundamental rights of local communities. However, the GMNK’s response was once again superficial, limiting itself to saying that the process of updating the technical studies was underway (an excuse that has been served up to us since April 2021). MIREME, for its part, didn’t even respond to the request, completely ignoring the letter sent by JA!
This stance by both GMNK and MIREME denotes a disastrous attempt to shirk their responsibility to provide information that is essential to the process of implementing the project. The information requested should be available, as it would serve to guarantee transparency, legality and preventive monitoring of the impacts on the rights of the affected communities. The secrecy and obscurantism that have permeated this project from the outset (including in stages long prior to 2018), in addition to the serious risks and impacts already identified by numerous experts and organisations, raise serious doubts about the alleged benefits touted by the government. At the same time, local communities have been reporting situations of intimidation, threats and even arbitrary arrests against those who question the development of the project. How can Mphanda Nkuwa really contribute to the country’s development if it needs to hide the steps it is taking and repress those most affected?
On 2 April 2024, JA! decided to escalate the issue to the Court (TACM), and submitted a request for it to order the government to make the requested information available.
The arguments used by the government
After being notified by the court, GMNK claimed that local communities had been actively involved, and that it holds meetings with local leaders, civil society and the media to share information about the project. The GMNK also tried to justify the lack of information by claiming that the studies had not yet reached the public participation stage. However, GMNK’s claim that community participation is restricted to the ‘public hearing’ process – the stage at which the environmental and social feasibility studies will actually be presented – does not reflect a real commitment to consulting communities, nor does it comply with the Administrative Procedures Act, a fact that the court did not hesitate to clarify. Law 07/2014 is clear: administrative authorities must guarantee public consultation and provide the information requested, except in the case of documents classified as secret or confidential, which is not the case here.
As for MIREME, it merely reproduced GMNK’s arguments and asked for the subpoena request to be rejected, claiming that our request was false, hasty and presumptuous. Apparently, MIREME thinks it’s ‘presumptuous’ for us to request public information about a project financed with public money, but it doesn’t think it’s presumptuous to decide the fate of entire communities without consulting them. Interesting definition of presumption!
A historical decision
The Maputo City Administrative Court then ruled in favour of JA!, determining that GMNK and MIREME must provide the requested information, regardless of the stage the studies are at, within 10 days. Failure to comply with this decision could result in the offence of qualified disobedience, as well as civil and disciplinary liability, according to article 110, no. 2 of the same law.
This historic decision by the TACM represents a decisive moment for the defence of the rights of local communities that are being threatened by the Mphanda Nkuwa dam project, and for the fight for the right to information in our country. The ruling reaffirms the constitutional right of access to information on projects that directly affect the environment and communities. By ordering the GMNK and MIREME to provide the information requested, the court establishes that transparency cannot be delayed or conditioned on arbitrary government timetables.
This decision also creates a legal tool that other civil society organisations and/or communities affected by megaprojects can use in similar cases, invoking this precedent to demand greater transparency.
“JA! welcomes this decision, and we reiterate that no so-called development project should go ahead without making available all the information needed and required by local communities and other social actors, so that this information can be properly evaluated, debated, and so that we can make better development decisions. This decision is also a big step towards materialising the right to say NO to megaprojects that cannot prove their alleged benefits, or that are already implicated in human rights violations, as is the case with Mphanda Nkuwa. Nothing about us without us!”
– Anabela Lemos, director of Justiça Ambiental JA!
The electoral crisis unfolding in Mozambique since the October 2024 elections stems from a long-standing period of widespread discontent and dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction is driven by precarious living conditions, social and gender inequality, youth unemployment, rising crime rates in urban centres, extreme vulnerability to climate events, continuous dependency on foreign economic aid, and political violence. Many promises were made that the exploitation of Mozambique’s natural resources would meet the needs of over 30 million citizens. These promises accompanied the licensing and concessions granted to foreign multinationals and their megaprojects. However, after 20 years of operation for some of these projects, young Mozambicans and others see their expectations unfulfilled.
Additionally, various social, professional, and community groups have begun showing fearless courage, taking to the streets to express their frustration after nearly 50 years of oppression. Communities affected by the extractive industry have found an opportunity to voice their demands for the promised benefits. However, these benefits exist only on paper. Misery, suffering, and hopelessness remain the tangible impacts felt daily by Mozambicans in rural areas directly affected by extractive industries.
In the district of Larde, specifically in the locality of Topuito, heavy sands are extracted by the Irish company Kenmare. After 20 years of exploitation, unjust resettlements, and the destruction of livelihoods in surrounding communities, no plausible or significant benefits have been delivered to these people. They are treated as mere chess pieces, displaced to make way for extraction. The invasion of Kenmare’s camp on 6 December, amid post-election protests, was a clear demonstration of the dissatisfaction felt by the Topuito and Larde communities. They cannot understand how or why they lost their lands to a company that has brought no positive change to their lives.
The breaking point for these communities lies in the worst of all the false promises made by the government and Kenmare: the construction of a bridge connecting Topuito to the district capital of Larde. This dates back to 2016 when Kenmare decided to expand its heavy sands extraction area to include the community’s sacred forest, which housed Mount Felipe. According to local belief, this forest was home to protective spirits and rain-bringers, as well as a source of healing waters symbolised by a giant serpent residing on the mountain.
The community initially resisted Kenmare’s activities in the sacred area, believing that the destruction of Mount Felipe would bring misfortune and that local leaders would not survive such sacrilege. However, with unconditional support from the provincial government, a meeting was held with traditional leaders, culminating in the surrender of the sacred site to Kenmare. Interestingly, the local chief died immediately after signing the documents. Was it the wrath of the spirits or another cause? No one knows.
In truth, the exchange for the sacred site, Kenmare had promised to construct a bridge connecting Topuito to the district capital. Beyond its sacred cultural and traditional significance, the site also served as a landmark for fishermen navigating their return home. The consensus sought was to expand the extraction area while preserving a minimum space respecting community values and beliefs at Mount Felipe. But, as always, community interests were neglected, and today nothing remains of Mount Felipe except white, barren sand, stripped of all its properties by the unrestrained capitalist greed of the machinery.
This, among other reasons, led to the camp’s invasion, the pursuit of an aircraft, vehicles forcibly taken to join protests in Moma, and Kenmare being compelled to sign an agreement to begin construction of the promised bridge in 2016. Just as Kenmare had coerced traditional leaders to surrender the sacred mountain with government support, it was now forced to honour its word, delivering at least the minimum after years of extracting heavy sands and reaping millions in profits.
On Monday, 9 December, the day another supposed groundbreaking ceremony for the bridge was to take place, the community was met with a heavy military contingent. Without hesitation, they opened fire on demonstrators. The company later told the press the situation was “under control.”
Many wonder where the anger and fury visible on the faces of the protesters come from. It stems from years of exploitation without return, false promises, and blatant corruption. Similar situations have occurred in Palma, in the Afungi Peninsula, where communities like Macala and Mangala had to block TotalEnergies’ gates for two weeks to finally have their concerns addressed after waiting months for compensation. Their complaints had been ignored since the previous year.
Some might question what foreign investments have to do with electoral issues, arguing that they only bring jobs and revenue to the country. However, they are deeply intertwined, symbolising power and exploitation of the most disadvantaged social groups. These investments represent exclusion from job opportunities for local youth, flouting laws while being shielded by the government. They act in partnership to destroy community livelihoods and spread false promises.
Today, 19 December 2024, we remember with great pain and outrage the brutal assassination of Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe, which occurred two months ago. We are still waiting for answers and justice regarding Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe! Who ordered the killings? Who pulled the trigger? We will not forget, and we will not stop demanding justice, even knowing that our justice system is deficient, partisan, and shamefully slow.
Our anguish and outrage have only grown, as has the number of Mozambicans killed (at least 130 people), injured, arrested, and tortured by the State Defence and Security Forces. So many Mozambicans have been murdered for demanding electoral justice and standing up for their rights that they have now become numbers — 130 people. But who are these Mozambicans? The deaths have become so great we cannot name them, they have been reduced to numbers. Yet they are not just numbers; they are Mozambican citizens who had families, dreams, and aspirations. They went out to protest for those dreams, for their rights, for our rights and freedoms… Therefore, this is not merely about 130 mourning families; we are all in mourning and stand, not only with these families, but also with those who risk their lives everyday.
No words can ease the pain of those who have lost their loved ones in such a manner. It wasn’t an accident, an illness, or old age; they were barbarically murdered by the very police who swore to protect them.
We demand justice. We demand that all these cases be thoroughly investigated and that all those involved — from the shooters to those who gave the orders from their offices, and even those who had the power to stop this massacre but failed to act, making them accomplices — be held accountable. Today, these words take on a new dimension. When we demand justice, we usually direct our demands at a specific entity. But today, we are unsure who that entity is. To whom do we demand this justice? The State? But it was the State Defence and Security Forces that killed, arrested, and persecuted demonstrators. The Attorney General’s Office (PGR), which remains silent and acts only in defence of the corrupt and against opposition parties? We have never seen justice come from the PGR, making it hard to believe it ever will.
The current situation only confirms what we and so many others have been denouncing for years: the State and its institutions are completely co-opted and partisan, serving only the ruling party, which clings to power through these very State institutions. This includes the State Defence and Security Forces, which follow illegal orders and murder citizens protesting against grave and evident rights violations and abuses of power.
The actions of the Constitutional Council (CC) are merely the latest act in this orchestrated circus. Today, we see judges behaving like soap opera actors, arrogantly and pompously presenting themselves as the ultimate arbiters of truth while we all wait anxiously for their decision about our fate.
If we recall the process of validating the highly contested and irregular 2023 municipal elections, which this same body approved, it becomes clear that expecting truth and justice from the CC is as likely as expecting well-known corrupt individuals to voluntarily turn themselves in and return all they have stolen from our country. In other words, highly improbable.
Our greatest hope at this moment is for the CC to surprise us and show that they truly stand for truth and justice so that we can rebuild our country based on the people’s rights, centred on justice and equality for all.
Until then, we will continue to remember and honour all those who, believing in a fairer country for all of us, were barbarically murdered. From mourning, we rise to struggle for the country we believe we can build together.
[New York/Frankfurt/Paris, 2nd October 2024] – On Wednesday 2nd October, climate activists are protesting in New York, where TotalEnergies is hosting its main investors. Actions are also taking place this week at the headquarters of TotalEnergies’ investors and banks in Frankfurt and Paris. Activists are calling on investors and banks to make an immediate commitment to stop issuing or buying new bonds from TotalEnergies, as well as to stop all support for companies developing new oil and gas projects.
Bonds represented more than two-thirds of TotalEnergies’ external financing in recent years (1). In 2024, TotalEnergies raised $7.25 billion through bonds, which the company will fully reimburse over decades (2).
Earlier this year some 60 NGOs called on banks and investors to stop lending to TotalEnergies, due to the energy giant’s ‘climate-wrecking strategy’ (3). Following the letter, French banks BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole announced that they would no longer participate in conventional bond issuances for companies in the oil and gas sector (4).
Climate justice movements, organizations and activist – including 350.org Justiça Ambiental, Liveable Arlington, MilieuDefensie, Stop Total France, the Toxic Bonds Network and urgewald – are urging other financial institutions to follow suit and stop support – including participating in the issuance and purchase of new bonds – for TotalEnergies and other companies developing new oil and gas projects.
While TotalEnergies’ investors will be shaking hands at its Investor Day in New York over financial support that will fund the company’s oil expansion 40 years into the future, activists will remind them of what this means for the climate. They will in particular denounce the EACOP project, which TotalEnergies continues to promote despite the heavy repression faced by communities and activists opposing it (5). So far 27 commercial banks have publicly committed not to support the EACOP project (6). The project has so far been financed by equity capital from its shareholders, including TotalEnergies (7). Bonds are likely to be significant to the development of such projects, as they allow the company to raise large amounts of money without conditions regarding their use (8).
Molly Ornati from 350Brooklyn.org : “In Uganda, community members and activists are constantly intimidated, arrested and prosecuted for defending their basic rights. Demonstrations which simply demand fair compensation, an end to displacement, and a halt to environmental destruction are met with police violence and arrests. While international banks across the globe have turned their backs on the EACOP project, they continue allowing the company to go ahead with its oil and gas projects through other financing methods such as bonds. Financiers should immediately stop distributing blank cheques to TotalEnergies.”
Protesters will also denounce the Mozambique LNG project, which has been suspended for 3 years and was recently under criticism due to reports of alleged atrocities committed by Mozambican armed forces near the project’s premises (9) and TotalEnergies’ shale gas projects in Texas (10).
Ranjana Bhandari, director of Liveable Arlington in Arlington, Texas and home to 400,000 residents exposed to Total’s ongoing urban fracking operations stated: “The ongoing fracking operations of the French energy giant TotalEnergies’ are placing thousands of families and children at risk in the city of Arlington, around Texas, and other locations across the nation and worldwide. It’s time consumers and investors demand American banks such as Citi, JP Morgan, and Bank of America stop funding these long-term bonds that are harming the very residents in the cities where these banks are operating.”
Anabela Lemos, from Justiça Ambiental, Mozambique: “The TotalEnergies gas project in Cabo Delgado is associated with land grabbing, lost livelihoods and human rights violations, alongside a violent conflict. TotalEnergies is now planning to co-develop the controversial Mphanda Nkuwa mega dam in the Zambezi river. Even before construction has started, local communities are reporting intimidations and human rights violations to force them to accept the project. If the dam goes ahead, this biodiversity hotspot might suffer irreversible damage and thousands of families will lose their lands, livelihoods and futures. Financiers are ethically bound to refuse support for TotalEnergies trail of destruction across the world.”
New York City : the action is taking place at 8:00AM at the headquarters of Citibank. Press is welcome]. Citi is the most important underwriter of TotalEnergies’s ongoing bonds (11), top bank in the US between 2021 and 2023 (12) and participated in underwriting TotalEnergies’ $3 billion bonds issue on September 10th 2024.
Frankfurt: onThursday 26 October, a protest took place in front of Deutsche Bank’s Headquarters in Frankfurt. Pictures are available here Deutsche Bank is the third most important underwriter of TotalEnergies’s ongoing bonds (11), top bank in Germany between 2021 and 2023 (12) and participated in underwriting TotalEnergies’ $4.25 billion bonds issue on April 5th 2024. DWS, Deutsche Bank’s asset management subsidiary, is the first investor of TotalEnergies in Germany (12).
Pictures are available upon request to the press contacts.
Notes :
(1) Between 2016 and 2023, 69.8% of TotalEnergies’ financing came from bonds, according to data from Banking On Climate Chaos, 2024
(2) The average maturity (date on which the bond matures and must be repaid by the issuing company) of bonds issued by TotalEnergies between 2020 and 2024 was 22 years compared to 6 years for those issued between 2000 and 2004, according to a recent study by AFII, 2024.
(7) The project’s shareholders are TotalEnergies, China National Offshore Corporation, Uganda National Oil Company and Tanzanian Petroleum Development Corporation.
26 September 2024. Statement by: Justiça Ambiental / Friends of the Earth Mozambique; Les Amis de la Terre France / Friends of the Earth France; Milieudefensie / Friends of the Earth Netherlands; Friends of the Earth Europe; Friends of the Earth Japan; Friends of the Earth US; ReCommon; Reclaim Finance.
On September 26, 2024, Politico published an article by independent journalist Alex Perry [1] which reveals information about an alleged massacre of civilians, reported to have been committed near TotalEnergies’ premises in mid 2021 by Mozambican public security forces.
Anabela Lemos, Director of Justiça Ambiental / Friends of the Earth Mozambique, says: “This information cannot be ignored by the financial institutions supporting the French fossil fuel giant’s activities in Mozambique, including the financial arms of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Italy. In multiple reports and meetings, we and our partners have warned companies, banks and states about the risks associated with this project and the serious flaws in the human rights due diligence carried out by TotalEnergies [2]. TotalEnergies’ responsibility is again today called into question by this reporting on further alleged atrocities surrounding the gas project”.
The article outlines alleged events in July-September 2021, three months after a major insurgent attack on Palma town that spurred increased militarisation of the region. According to the article, Mozambican troops assaulted hundreds of civilians who were seeking safety, and imprisoned the men in windowless, metal shipping containers near the entrance of the Mozambique LNG site. The article reports that men – 180 to 250 individuals – were detained for 3 months, denied water, starved, beaten, suffocated, tortured, stabbed and, finally, most of them “disappeared”. Only 26 of the prisoners are estimated by the investigation team to have survived.” Women were subjected to humiliation and repeated sexual assault for a day or two, before being released.
Alex Perry has previously published articles about the violent conflict in the province of Cabo Delgado and the controversial impacts of the Mozambique LNG project. In the aftermath of the March and April 2021 insurgent attacks on the town of Palma, he conducted in-depth research to uncover the number of fatalities incurred during the massacre [3]. The attacks led to TotalEnergies’ declaration of force majeure and the suspension of the project in April 2021.
A legal complaint was filed in 2023 by victims’ families and attack survivors, accusing the French energy company of failing to protect its subcontractors and failing to provide fuel so that helicopters could evacuate civilians during the Palma attack [4]. Following the complaint, the French public prosecutor asked TotalEnergies’ for comments on the complaint to then decide whether to pursue the case, close it or carry out further investigations [5].
Amnesty International accused the Mozambican security forces of war crimes in 2021 [6]. Until recently, TotalEnergies was directly providing equipment and financial compensation to the Joint Task Force (JTF) of the Mozambican army under an agreement that the JTF would “ensure the security” of the project activities – and now pays the government instead [7]. A 2023 report commissioned by TotalEnergies itself concluded that a permanent link between Mozambique LNG and the Mozambican army “would have the effect […] of making the project a party to the conflict” in the meaning of the Geneva Convention. [8].
State and private actors involved in the financial support [9] of the project have been warned about the threats the project poses to regional security and human rights, as well as the climate and environmental impacts [10]. Information obtained via Freedom of Information requests has revealed that despite these warnings, as well as concerns expressed by decision makers, support for the project was pushed through [11].
The Politico journalistic investigation into this massacre draws fresh attention to TotalEnergies’ controversial links to the Mozambican army, and specifically its relationship with the forces accused of severe crimes that might be considered war crimes. According to the article, “The commandos were based on TotalEnergies’ compound. They ran their detention-and-execution operation from the petroleum giant’s gatehouse.” The Mozambican commando unit was furthermore reported to be led by an officer who said his mission was to protect the “project of Total”. The managing director of Mozambique LNG project, Maxime Rabilloud, says TotalEnergies had “no knowledge of the alleged events described”, nor “any information indicating that such events took place”. In addition, Rabilloud stated that the company had no presence on the ground at the time of the alleged events and is taking the “message very seriously given the gravity of the allegations”. The article reports that the Mozambican ministry of defense and the Mozambican presidency did not reply to requests for comment.
The article asserts, “there are grounds for a prosecutor to think that Mozambique LNG and its parent company TotalEnergies had sufficient cause to investigate whether human rights abuses were being committed by its defenders in its absence.”
The NGOs behind the “Say No to Gas! in Mozambique” campaign call on all public and private actors involved in the project and its financing to immediately act to ensure truth, justice and reparation for the survivors and the victims’ families. They call for an immediate official investigation on the events and on TotalEnergies’ potential role, due to its cooperation with security forces that are accused of severe crimes, including rape, murder, torture, which may constitute war crimes.
Press contacts
Justiça Ambiental / Friends of the Earth Mozambique: Daniel Ribeiro, daniel.ja.mz@gmail.com, +258 86 620 5608, Anabela Lemos, anabela.ja.mz@gmail.com, +258 87 195 3602
Les Amis de la Terre France / Friends of the Earth France: Lorette Philippot, lorette.philippot@amisdelaterre.org, +33 640188284
[9] 28 financial institutions took part in the 14.9 billion dollars project financing in July 2020. ECAs include Export Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM), UK Export Finance (UKEF), Servizi Assicurativi del Commercio Estero (SACE), Atradius Dutch State Business (ADSB). Commercial banks include Société Générale (the financial advisor of TotalEnergies for the project), Crédit Agricole, JPMorgan, Mizuho Bank, Standard Chartered Bank. See full list: www.amisdelaterre.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/summary—-financial-institutions-involvement-in-the-mozambique-lng-gas-project-2.pdf
[10] The Mozambique LNG project will produce between 3.3 and 4.5 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent over its lifecycle, more than the combined annual greenhouse gas emissions of all 27 EU countries. Friends of the Earth EWNI and the New Economics Foundation, October 2021. Tip of the iceberg : the future of fossil fuel extraction. https://policy.friendsoftheearth.uk/print/pdf/node/237
We are social movements, civil society organisations, grassroots communities, peasants, lawyers, academics, experts, working people and others, from different provinces of Mozambique and also from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Togo, Uganda, Nigeria, Tunisia, Cameroon, Algeria, Senegal, and allies from Japan, Mexico, Portugal and United States of America.
We met for the 8th Workshop on Corporate Impunity and Human Rights in Maputo, Mozambique, from 12-15 August 2024, organised by Justiça Ambiental JA!. Our workshop was conducted in multiple languages including Portuguese, Xangana, Nyungwe, Makonde, Swahili, Makua, isiZulu, Arabic, English, French, Spanish.
We acknowledge the struggles for justice and survival of our peoples and communities, especially of women and children. We stand against apartheid, occupation, war, conflict, militarisation and genocide, in Palestine, Cabo Delgado, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bangladesh and everywhere. We reiterate our unconditional solidarity with peoples resistance and struggles for justice everywhere.
We note that the capitalist, colonial, patriarchal, classist, racist and deeply unequal system is an enemy of peoples and planet; it places profits above life and plunders territories and common goods.
We shared about African political economy, colonialism and the violent power of transnational corporations. We note that the global north, enabled by our own political class, continues to perpetuate the myth that Africa will remain poor if we don’t exploit our fossil fuels; thereby drawing many African countries into perpetual economic entrapment through a dependence on fossil fuels which exacerbate the climate crisis. Our African governments misuse the concept of the ‘right to development’ to continue enriching themselves. We assert our collective and individual human right to a dignified life, to a development that responds adequately to cultural and social realities within the African context; however this is not what is being offered to us. Our States have the legal obligation to protect, respect, promote and fulfil the human rights of their citizens.
We know too well that human rights are not just an imported concept, they are deeply linked to African histories and lives, as affirmed in the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights. We denounce the impacts that are already affecting our peoples lives and livelihoods, from climate change to fossil fuels, extractivism, land grabbing and dispossession. People are suffering from multi-crises that they had no part in creating.
We denounce the structural architecture of impunity and unregulated power of transnational corporations and the playbook they use to spread denial and disinformation. We denounce the corporate capture of our democracies causing shrinking civic space and increased attacks on environmental human rights defenders. We reject “free” trade and investment agreements that undermine the sovereignty of our States.
We denounce the architecture of climate injustice. The countries of the global north have created the climate crisis and they must act first and fastest to address it. But the opposite is happening. We need to phase out fossil fuels and support a just transition that guarantees sovereignty in the global south. Our governments must do everything possible to protect the peoples and all forms of life already affected by the climate crisis, including in COP climate negotiations where fossil fuel lobbies have been allowed to dominate the agendas and create barriers to action.
We assert the need to cut emissions at source. No forests or carbon sinks can compensate for these emissions. The forests, our lands and our rivers are our life, they are not new markets for capital. African forests must not be captured. There should be nothing about us without us. We assert our right to say no.
KODAK Digital Still Camera
OUR VISION
We are constructing our vision for the world we want to live in, the world we want to leave for our children. Our demands are as follows:
On Corporate Impunity and the Climate Crisis:
We demand a strong and effective UN Binding Treaty on transnational corporations and human rights, so that they are held liable for the crimes they commit.
We demand that current financial injustices, like inequality, debt, tax and wage evasion and illicit financial flows are dismantled along with the institutions that drive these processes.
We support struggles against dirty energy and fossil fuels that challenge the impunity of the system. We join the call for the establishment of a Peoples World Commission on a fair, fast, full, funded Fossil Fuel Phase out, to discuss how this phase out will actually happen, and support the process towards a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty.
We reject all false solutions including carbon markets, REDD, offsets, geoengineering, net zero, “natural” gas, hydrogen, mega-dams, industrial plantations and delaying tactics.
On Rights, Sovereignty, Repair and Reparations:
We call for socially-owned renewable energy systems.
We demand the strengthening of rights-based frameworks, including land and forest rights.
We support community forest management and peasant agroecology towards food sovereignty.
We demand healing justice and reparations for communities whose rights have been violated.
We affirm that there is no climate justice under occupation, apartheid, conflict and militarisation.
We denounce and reject the normalisation of war and conflicts and the accompanying dehumanisation (e.g. Palestine, Sudan, DRC, Western Sahara, Cabo Delgado and everywhere).
On Feminist Economics:
We support a new economy for people and planet – a solidary and circular economy that values and centres care work and bodily autonomy; an economy that centres sustainability and abundance of collective life, as opposed to profit and individual gain. From extraction to regeneration.
We call for the reclamation of the public sphere to ensure peoples rights and support public services.
Above all, our vision is based on our human values of solidarity, cooperation, Ubuntu and Eti-uwem. We will continue fighting, resisting, mobilising, organising, and moreover transforming our societies. We assert our right to say NO!
GROUPS / COLLECTIVES PRESENT AT THE WORKSHOP:
Advocacy Coalition for Sustainable Agriculture (ACSA) – Uganda
ALTERNACTIVA – Acção pela Emancipação Social – Mozambique
Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC) – South Africa
Associação de Cooperação Para o Desenvolvimento – Mozambique
Associação de Jovens Combatentes Montes Errego (AJOCME) – Mozambique
Associação dos Jornalistas Ambientais – Mozambique
Associação LaVatsongo – Mozambique
Bairro Bagamoio Moatize – Mozambique
Basilwizi Trust – Zimbabwe
Centre Congolais pour le Développement Durable (CODED) – République Démocratique du Congo
Centre pour la Justice Environnementale – Togo
Centro de Jornalismo de Investigação Moçambicano (CJIM)
Centro para Desenvolvimento Alternativo (CDA) – Mozambique
Don’t Gas Africa
Dynamique pour le Droit, la Démocratie et le Développement Durable (D5) – République Démocratique du Congo
Earthlife Africa
Entembeni Crisis Forum (ECF) – South Africa
Environmental Rights Action, FoE Nigeria
Environment Governance Institute – Uganda
Fair Finance Coalition – Southern Africa
FishNet Alliance Network – Africa
Fórum Mulher – Mozambique
Friends of the Earth Africa
groundWork, Friends of the Earth South Africa
Health of Mother Earth Foundation – Nigeria / Africa
Hikone – Mozambique
Justiça Ambiental JA! – Mozambique
KULIMA – Mozambique
La Via Campesina Southern and Eastern Africa
Missão Tabita – Mozambique
Mukadzi-Colaboratório Feminista – Mozambique
Natural Justice – Africa
No REDD in Africa Network (NRAN)
Observatório das Mulheres – Mozambique
Oilwatch Africa
Power Shift Africa
Resource Rights Africa – Uganda
Right to Say No Campaign – South Africa
Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) – Southern Africa
South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) – South Africa
Southern Africa Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power
Southern Africa Green Revolutionary Council (SAGRC)
Support Centre for Land Change (SCLC) – South Africa
União Nacional de Camponeses (UNAC) – Mozambique
Uganda Land Owners Association
WoMin African Alliance
ZIMSOFF – Zimbabwe
350Africa.org
Afrikagrupperna
Climáximo – Portugal
FIAN International
Friends of the Earth International
Friends of the Earth Japan
Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity
Global Forest Coalition
International Rivers (IR)
Oilwatch International
Transnational Institute (TNI)
World Rainforest Movement (WRM)
IN SOLIDARITY:
Actions Internationales pour le Développement et le Climat AidClimat
Africa Climate Movements Building Space
Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ)
Associação Consciente Sociedade – Mozambique
Associação Homens pela Mudança (HOPEM) – Mozambique
Bio Vision Africa (BiVA)
CHePEA
Centre de Recherches et d’Appui pour les Alternatives de Développement – Océan Indien (CRAAD-OI)
Coligação de 4 Bairros da Localidade Canhavane – Mozambique
Egyptian Organization for Environmental rights
Enviro Vito NPO – South Africa
Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development FENRAD – Nigeria
Grassroots International
Green Advocates International
Innovation pour le Développement et la Protection de l’Environnement – République Démocratique du Congo
JOINT – NGO league in Mozambique
Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center – FoE Philippines
Les Amis de la Terre – Togo
Ligue des Jeunes Paysans de la République Démocratique du Congo (LJP-RDC)
Malamba-Mazuene, Inhambane – Mozambique
Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB) – Brazil
Muyissi Environnement – Gabon
National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) – Uganda
PENGON – Friends of the Earth Palestine
Protecting Our Environment Today (POET)
Thenjinosi Community Development Project – South Africa
University of Johannesburg – Centre for Social Change, South Africa
West Coast Food Sovereignty and Solidarity Forum – South Africa
*Maputo, Mozambique – [Date]* – Justiça Ambiental (JA!), a mozambican association that works to protect and defend the environment and the communities that depend on it in Mozambique, has launched a public petition in collaboration with local residents, urging the governments of Mozambique, Botswana, and Zimbabwe to halt the proposed deepwater port development in Techobanine. The development threatens the rich biodiversity of Maputo National Park and the well-being of local communities.
The Techobanine port project, a collaboration between the three countries, proposes the construction of a mineral export port on Mozambique’s southern coast. However, environmental experts, local residentes and civil society organizations, including JA!, warn of severe ecological destruction, including the degradation of marine ecosystems, the disruption of critical wildlife habitats, and the displacement of coastal communities.
“Techobanine is home to unique and endangered species, including humpback whales, dolphins, and sea turtles. Its pristine coral reefs and interconnected freshwater lakes are irreplaceable, and the proposed port development would have catastrophic effects on these ecosystems,” said *Anabela Lemos*, Director of Justiça Ambiental.
*Key concerns of the Techobanine port project include:*
– *Destruction of Biodiversity:* The proposed site lies within Maputo National Park, a critical habitat for marine and terrestrial wildlife.
– *Loss of Livelihoods:* Tourism, which supports 90% of local employment, would be severely impacted, jeopardizing thousands of jobs in coastal communities.
– *Marine Pollution and Habitat Disruption:* The dredging process and the influx of ships and trucks transporting coal and minerals will introduce pollution, noise, and habitat loss, endangering marine life and affecting coastal ecosystems.
The petition, now open for signatures, calls on the Mozambique government to:
– Suspend plans for the Techobanine port development.
– Consider alternative locations that do not threaten protected areas such as Maputo National Park.
In addition to local communities, JA! is seeking international support for the petition, inviting global environmental organizations and individuals to join the cause. The petition has already gained traction on social media platforms and among environmental advocates globally.
“We urge the Mozambique Parliament and the international community to consider the long-term environmental damage this project could cause. There are sustainable alternatives that prioritize both economic growth and environmental protection,” Lemos added.
Justiça Ambiental (JA!) is a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental justice in Mozambique. Its mission is to promote sustainable development, protect Mozambique’s natural ecosystems, and advocate for the rights of local communities affected by environmental degradation. Through advocacy, education, and activism, JA! aims to empower communities and influence policies that support environmental conservation and climate justice.
“African narratives on energy and climate Justice”
The right to live in an environment that is not harmful to one’s health and well-being, the right to self-determination, the right to work, the right to a dignified life, are just some of the fundamental human rights that are systematically violated by big corporations across the globe, with the support of coopted governments, and with particular incidence and severity in Africa and across the global South. Yet, despite overwhelming evidence and popular condemnation, corporations still manage to continue to destroy lives with impunity. The results of a neoliberal, corporate-led, extractives-based, patriarchal socio-economic model that places profits before people are there for everyone to see, as transnational corporations make record high profits amidst pandemics and other deepening crises, and externalize the impacts of their activities to society. From the climate crisis, to wars and genocide, to the biodiversity crisis, the role of big capital in fueling death and destruction has become a subject of research and analysis, but also of massive mobilizations, as social movements and civil society organizations from across the globe demand accountability, system change, a life of dignity for all and peoples’ centered alternatives to the current global order.
The Maputo Workshop on Corporate Impunity and Human Rights, now convened in its 8th consecutive year, has become a crucial space for grassroots communities, civil society organisations, activists, academics, lawyers and government representatives to discuss and learn from each other about the complex and obscure ways through which transnational corporations have managed to capture our democratic structures and processes. Through lobby, economic influence, corruption and other tactics, corporations have been slowly making these structures and processes work for the benefit of the corporate elites, and against the interests of the people. It is also a space to learn about iconic struggles against corporate power, get inspired by collective actions demanding the right to say no to harmful investments, and forge new ways of resisting, mobilizing and transforming our societies.
In 2024, our workshop will focus on African narratives around energy and climate justice, discussing topics such as:
– Who is at the frontlines of facing climate impacts?
– What have been the strategies used by fossil fuel companies to delay and weaken urgently needed climate action?
– Which narratives coming from within the continent help reinforce models of exploitation and carbon colonialism?
– What are false solutions, who is pushing them, and how do they distract us from the real solutions?
– What are some of the instruments and tools that corporations have at their disposal to reap profits out of crises?
– What hides behind the word ‘development’, as we see more and more dirty energy projects being promoted in our territories in the global South?
– And in what ways are the shrinking of civic space and increased government authoritarianism a reflection of the corporate hijack of our democracies?
As we debate and try to answer these and other questions, we will also look at solutions: what kind of clean and popular energy solutions are being implemented across the continent and across the globe, that not only present a solution to the climate and energy crisis, but also contribute to rolling back the unregulated power of transnational corporations?
As Justiça Ambiental JA! celebrates it’s 20th anniversary of its official founding, we invite you all to join us for this radically emancipatory event about understanding corporate power in its many forms, and taking collective action to dismantle it. Our purpose here will be to collectively understand how our daily problems have origins in systemic issues, and how we can address the injustices of the current systems by organizing our movements and taking collective action against the corporate take-over. Our climate, our planet, our humanity demand it!
The Workshop will take place in Maputo, on August 12th to 15th. To register, please write an e-mail with your name and institution to impunidade.corporativa@gmail.com or via phone on +258 86 8242893 / 21 496668.
(LNG) expansion in globally-important marine biodiversity hotspots
Sacramento, USA (June 6, 2024) — New maps and analysis from research organization Earth Insight and partners — released ahead of World Oceans Day on June 8, 2024 — paint a sobering picture of current plans to expand Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) infrastructure worldwide, posing threats to the global climate as well as significant hubs for biodiversity.
READ THE REPORT — Anything But Natural: Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Infrastructure Expansion Threats to Coastal & Marine Ecosystems
LNG is mostly composed of methane gas. If cooled, the gas becomes liquid and can be stored and transported by sea using special tankers. When methane is burned to obtain energy, it produces less carbon dioxide than other fossil fuels, such as oil or gas. However, methane itself
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is in itself a potent greenhouse gas, responsible for almost a third of all global warming we are experiencing today. The cost of developing planned natural gas infrastructure exceeds one trillion dollars, and will increase by threefold the world’s export capacity, and by two-thirds its import capacity. United States, Russia, China, Mexico, and Canada are leading the pack in planned LNG infrastructure expansion, while countries like the Philippines, Mozambique, and Brazil also feature in the top 20.
Case studies and regional maps in the report show:
● In the United States, developments along the Gulf Coast will disproportionately impact communities of color in some of the poorer states of the country. These communities already experience poor air quality from operating LNG facilities and regularly suffer downpours and floods caused by climate change-fueled hurricanes and storms;
● In Mexico’s Baja California state, new LNG infrastructure threatens “the world’s aquarium,” home to 40% of all marine mammals in the world and many endangered species. If current plans go ahead, eight new terminals will be built in a region that is a whale sanctuary and is listed as a UNESCO World heritage site;
● In the Philippines, building new LNG terminals will add more pressure to the Verde Island Passage, one of the world’s most biodiverse marine places. The region, often called “the Amazon of the Oceans,” is already one of the world’s busiest marine routes and was hit by an oil spill in 2023 with devastating consequences;
● In Mozambique and East Africa, gas developments have already caused the forced displacement of local communities and new plans threaten several critically endangered marine species. The offshore expansion will take place along a coastline full of mangroves and coral reefs;
● and, in Brazil, there are plans to build new LNG terminals along the Atlantic coast, a region that is already cluttered with oil and gas infrastructure. Whale populations will be particularly affected, as the new developments overlap with their breeding grounds and migration routes.The last 10 years have been the ocean’s warmest since at least the 1800s, with 2023 being the hottest ever recorded. Destructive marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense across the world. Massive coral bleaching episodes are destroying reefs and all the natural life they support. And species are being displaced from their habitats, moving to cooler and deeper waters, disrupting ecological chains and impacting fisheries.New LNG facilities will increase shipping intensity and noise pollution in marine migration corridors, mating and nursery areas for species like whales and dolphins, and important fishing grounds.The report, launched just before World Oceans Day 2024, follows the 2024 United Nations Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona, Spain (April 8-12, 2024) and the 9th Our Ocean Conference in Athens, Greece (April 16-17, 2024), a series of events first launched under the initiative of then-U.S. Department of State and the Secretary of State John Kerry in 2014. It also
follows an historic May 2024 ruling by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea dictating that emissions from fossil fuels — and other planet-warming gasses that are absorbed by the oceans — count as marine pollution; a first climate-related ruling from that body.
Maps
Look at the interactive heatmap here. Download static maps from the report here. Supplied underwater images of marine life (credit Lynsey Grosfield/Earth Insight) here.
Quotes and Interview Opportunities
“Investing in LNG infrastructure — especially in some of the world’s most important nurseries of marine life — just doesn’t make any sense. At this point in the energy transition and nature crisis, it’s a one way ticket to stranded assets and won’t help us solve the climate crisis.”
“The new report ‘’Anything But Natural: Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Infrastructure Expansion Threats to Coastal & Marine Ecosystems’ reveals the stark reality that LNG — often touted as a cleaner marine fuel — is far from the panacea it’s made out to be. Through strategic maps and data, we expose how LNG’s lifecycle — from extraction on land to combustion at sea — inflicts severe damage on our planet’s most vulnerable ecosystems and communities. By championing a lifecycle approach, we shed light on false solutions that cultivate crises on land and amplify environmental and social injustices. It’s time to navigate away from the illusion of LNG as a benign alternative and steer towards genuine marine solutions that do not compromise the health of our planet and its people.”
Elissama Menezes, Global Director, Say No to LNG director@saynotolng.org
“Maps can be powerful tools for understanding landscapes where there are a lot of competing needs. Our work in this report combines LNG data and biodiversity data, and it’s clear to see that for many of these projects, the risks to people and nature cross an unacceptable threshold. As a scientist I believe we need to really consider all the data and risks before investing in long-term fossil infrastructure in biodiversity hotspots that sustain all our lives. Creating transparency in the threats these developments pose is critical.”
Bart Wickel, Research Director, Earth Insight, bart@earth-insight.org
Mozambique: “It is obvious that the impacts of gas projects are not neatly contained within the formal project boundaries. The damage to seagrass beds, mangroves and coral reefs will impact on the success of many valuable species, including whales and dolphins, turtles, dugongs, and marine species that are important food sources for coastal communities. These systems are also valuable protection against severe weather events, which are noticeably more
frequent and destructive. Already, land grabs and forced displacement of communities for gas development have worsened local socio-economic conditions, contributed to disenfranchisement of the youth, and thus contributed to fuelling the violent insurgency in the region.”
Anabela Lemos, Justiça Ambiental! / Friends of the Earth Mozambique, anabela.ja.mz@gmail.com / stopmozgas@gmail.com
Brazil: “The report provides important data for managing the just energy transition in Brazil, highlighting areas where the LNG sector is rapidly developing. Additionally, this growth near the Abrolhos Land and Sea Territory, one of the main hotspots in the country for the preservation of the Atlantic Forest and the biggest coral reef bank in Brazil, is a cause for concern.”
Vinicius Nora, Gerente de Oceanos e Clima, vinicius.nora@arayara.org
Philippines: “LNG expansion is a major threat for the climate, biodiversity, and communities. In the Philippines, a buildout of LNG terminals and power plants threatens the Verde Island Passage – one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world. For a country that has so much renewable energy it could instead be developing, LNG is an unnecessary and detrimental distraction that only exacerbates our climate vulnerabilities. We need to be advancing real climate solutions and biodiversity protection, and not locking in more fossil fuel expansion.“
Gerry Arances, Executive Director of the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED) and Co-Convenor of Protect Verde Island Passage. media@ceedphilippines.com | http://www.protectvip.org
US Gulf South: (Available for Interviews) John Beard Jr, CEO, Port Arthur Community Action Network (PACAN), pacanportarthur@gmail.com
Additional Resources
● Losing Ground: Fossil Fuel Extraction Threatens Protected Areas Around the World (Earth Insight, LINGO, and the IUCN-WCPA)
● LNG, Shipping, and the Amazon of the Oceans: Scoping Key Issues and Potential Impacts of the Massive Expansion of LNG in the Verde Island Passage (CEED Philippines)
● [Infographic] From land to sea: LNG impacts people, nature and the economy (Say No toLNG)
● [Press Release] The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Gaslight ofLiquefied Natural Gas (LNG) (Say no to LNG)
● [Podcast] ship.energy podcast on the the health connection of LNG shipping (Say No toLNG and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE))
● [Infographic] LNG does not belong in green corridors
Lynsey Grosfield, Head of Communications, Earth Insight +1 514 430-5203, lynsey@earth-insight.org
About Earth Insight
Earth Insight is a research and capacity building initiative that is a sponsored project of the Resources Legacy Fund, based in Sacramento, California. Staff and partners span the globe and represent a unique grouping of individuals and organizations with diverse backgrounds in mapping and spatial analysis, communications, and policy. Earth Insight is committed to advancing new tools, awareness, and momentum for protecting critical places and supporting civil society and indigenous and local communities in this effort.
Say No To LNG is a global shipping campaign debunking the myth that Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is a “climate friendly” marine fuel alternative and mobilizing stakeholders towards a fossil fuel-free shipping industry. We are a collective of subject matter experts and environmental advocates from across the world who collaborate to push back on the adoption of LNG as a marine fuel and educate key actors on its role in worsening global warming, financial losses, human rights issues, and public health.
JA4change 