The U.S. Export-Import Bank has approved a $4.7 billion loan for a liquefied natural gas project by TotalEnergies in Mozambique, amid concerns regarding human rights abuses tied to the project’s security forces. Originally sanctioned in 2019 for $5 billion, the financing was reduced and later halted due to local violence. Despite these issues, the project continues to receive federal backing as a means to support U.S. job growth.
The U.S. Export-Import Bank’s board has reauthorized a significant loan of $4.7 billion for a liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique, reflecting federal agencies’ alignment with President Donald Trump’s pro-fossil fuel agenda. This approval, made public recently, supports an LNG facility being developed by TotalEnergies SE within the Afungi region, which has been marked by a violent Islamist insurgency and reports of severe human rights violations.
Originally, the bank had sanctioned a $5 billion loan for the project in 2019 during the Trump administration, promoting American job growth through the export of necessary equipment and services. However, the loan was revised down to $4.7 billion, yet it remains the most substantial deal in the agency’s history.
Nevertheless, the project’s legitimacy has been questioned due to an Islamist takeover in 2021, which resulted in over 1,000 civilian deaths and halted TotalEnergies’ operations. Financing from American sources and other lenders was subsequently withdrawn. Investigations have revealed that security forces, hired to protect the TotalEnergies facility, committed atrocities, including abduction, torture, and murder of civilians. TotalEnergies has denied any involvement in these actions and claimed innocence amid ongoing judicial inquiries.
The reauthorization of the $4.7 billion loan by the U.S. Export-Import Bank underscores the ongoing support for fossil fuel initiatives under the Trump administration. Despite the serious human rights concerns associated with the project in Mozambique and the violent backdrop of its development, the bank remains focused on its implications for American jobs and exports. TotalEnergies continues to assert its lack of wrongdoing amidst escalating investigations into security-related atrocities.
Original Source: www.eenews.net
