Mozambican witnesses of the "container massacre" interviewed by the investigative collective SourceMaterial as part of its joint investigation with Le Monde. ELISA BELLANGER / LE MONDE
July 2021, Afungi Peninsula, northeastern Mozambique. The massive liquefied natural gas project led by TotalEnergies had been suspended for three months, following a deadly terrorist attack. On the deserted site, armed soldiers guarded the infrastructure. These troops belonged to the Joint Task Force (JTF), a military unit created through an agreement between the government of Mozambique and the French energy company.
But under the pretext of this security mandate, the soldiers committed acts of violence and brutality that might never have come to light without the investigative work of Politico and the video investigation unit at Le Monde, working with the SourceMaterial collective.
Dozens of men of all ages, fleeing the Al-Shabaab militia with their families, found themselves detained in metal containers at the entrance to the site. According to testimonies corroborated by videos and satellite imagery, they were kept there hungry, beaten and tortured. For some, this ordeal lasted until September 2021. At least five were killed, and many others were reported missing.
