Below is a concise, source-linked timeline of the major allegations, NGO reports and court actions involving Total / TotalFina / TotalFinaElf / TotalEnergies (I included the corporate name history at the top as you requested). I prioritized independent NGO investigations, major press coverage and key legal milestones so you can follow or cite each item.

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Company name / corporate-history note

• Compagnie Française des Pétroles → Total (orig. 1924).
• Total + PetroFina → TotalFina (merger activity 1999). competition-cases.ec.europa.eu+1
• TotalFina + Elf Aquitaine → TotalFinaElf (deal completed around 1999–2000; shareholders approved in 2000). The group later simplified back to Total (2003) and rebranded to TotalEnergies in 2021. competition-cases.ec.europa.eu+1

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Timeline — major allegations, NGO reports & court actions

2017–2019 — France’s “duty of vigilance” law enters use; NGOs prepare cases

• Context: France’s 2017 “duty of vigilance” law enabled NGOs and local authorities to sue large companies for failure to prevent human-rights and environmental harms in their operations and supply chains. NGOs began investigating oil & gas projects (including Uganda/Tanzania projects) for potential duty-of-vigilance breaches. TotalEnergies.com+1

Oct 2019 — NGOs file duty-of-vigilance proceedings against Total (Tilenga / EACOP)

• What happened: Several French NGOs filed proceedings in the Nanterre civil court alleging that TotalEnergies’ plans for the Tilenga / Kingfisher oil fields and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) failed to identify or prevent major social and environmental harms (land loss, livelihoods, impacts on indigenous peoples). Total has repeatedly defended its vigilance plans. TotalEnergies.com+1

2020 — NGO reports flag early harms in Uganda/Tanzania projects

• What happened: NGOs (including Les Amis de la Terre / Survie and others) and local groups documented forced displacement risks, inadequate compensation processes, and threats to livelihoods tied to oil activity around Lake Albert. These early reports framed later legal and advocacy action. TotalEnergies.com+1

Jan 2022 — TotalEnergies announces withdrawal from Myanmar (Yadana project) amid coup concerns; NGOs criticize transfers

• What happened: After the February 2021 coup in Myanmar and worsening human-rights conditions, TotalEnergies announced in early 2022 that it would end operations in Myanmar (the Yadana gas project). NGOs (including Human Rights Watch and others) warned that the company’s exit and asset transfers could still indirectly benefit the junta and criticized the firm’s prior conduct. Legal and advocacy scrutiny followed. Human Rights Watch+2TotalEnergies.com+2

2020–2023 — Escalating NGO investigations and localised incidents around EACOP/Tilenga

• What happened: Investigations by FIDH, Human Rights Watch, and other organisations documented:
  • Land rights impacts, inadequate compensation and livelihood losses for communities in project areas. fidh.org+1
  • Harassment, intimidation and arrests of environmental and pipeline opponents in Uganda (reports of arbitrary detention of protestors and defenders). Human Rights Watch documented repeated stifling of pipeline protests. Human Rights Watch+1

2022–2024 — Duty-of-vigilance litigation and procedural moves in France

• What happened: The 2019 NGO claims progressed through French courts (Nanterre and related procedural stages). Total published responses and its own impact assessments / HRIA documents; courts ordered disclosure in some instances and certain procedural rulings were contested. The dispute has been legally and technically complex with some rulings on admissibility and ongoing appeals in parts. (See Total’s public statements and the NGOs’ filings for details.) TotalEnergies.com+1

2023 (Nov) — Human Rights Watch: Uganda protests “stifled”; continued arrests

• What happened: HRW published detailed material documenting arbitrary arrests and harassment of activists opposing the EACOP project and warned governments and project partners to respect rights of defenders. This reporting underpinned renewed calls for the company and financiers to act. Human Rights Watch

2024 — FIDH & partner investigations: renewed findings on Tilenga/EACOP impacts

• What happened: FIDH and partners issued reports highlighting continuing human-rights impacts of the Tilenga, Kingfisher and EACOP projects (labour, land, environmental harm) and urged accountability and remediation measures. fidh.org

2025 (May) — UN independent expert requests that TotalEnergies urgently address fresh allegations

• What happened: An independent U.N. human-rights expert publicly called on TotalEnergies to urgently investigate and address fresh allegations relating to human-rights harms connected to its East African projects; Total’s CEO publicly defended the company’s work and said it would respond. This renewed UN pressure amplified calls for independent scrutiny. UNECE+1

2025 (throughout) — Continuing litigation, regulatory and investor scrutiny

• What happened: Multiple fronts continued: duty-of-vigilance-related litigation in France; NGO advocacy; investor and UN stakeholder questions; and national-level policing and detention issues in project countries. Meanwhile, TotalEnergies continues to publish HRIAs and public responses defending mitigation measures and compensation frameworks. Expect the litigation and oversight to continue as NGOs pursue remedies and courts evaluate procedural and substantive claims. TotalEnergies.com+2TotalEnergies.com+2

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Key documents / reports to cite (short list)

• FIDH report on Tilenga / Kingfisher / EACOP (2024). fidh.org
• Human Rights Watch reporting on Myanmar exit (2022) and Uganda protests (2023). Human Rights Watch+1
• TotalEnergies’ published Human Rights Impact Assessment (Tilenga HRIA) and the company’s duty-of-vigilance press materials. TotalEnergies.com+1
• Reuters and major press coverage summarising UN expert statements and CEO responses (2025). Reuters

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Short assessment / what this timeline shows

• There are multiple, independent NGO reports and press investigations documenting serious human-rights risks and harms tied to specific TotalEnergies projects (especially Tilenga / Kingfisher / EACOP in Uganda/Tanzania, and the company’s historical involvement in Myanmar). fidh.org+1
• Legal accountability is active but complex: NGOs have used France’s duty-of-vigilance law to sue; some procedural rulings and disclosures have happened, but many substantive questions remain in litigation and appeals. TotalEnergies has published assessments and defences while NGOs press for independent remedies. TotalEnergies.com+1
• Protection of defenders: A consistent thread is the documented harassment and arrests of activists and community members opposing the projects; rights groups have urged companies, financiers, and states to ensure defenders’ safety. Human Rights Watch+1

Major reports & legal‑filings against TotalEnergies

Report or Filing (Date)	Main Actors / Authors	Key Allegations / Findings	Status / Notes
FIDH / Avocats sans frontières (ASF) / CRED — Oil in Uganda: Serious human rights abuses and escalating threats as project development enters new phase (Dec 2024)	FIDH, ASF, CRED (with local partners, supported by Oxfam)	– New and ongoing serious human‑rights violations linked to the oil projects Tilenga, Kingfisher and EACOP in Uganda.- Documented forced evictions, extortion, sexual and gender‑based violence, state repression of local communities and defenders; breakdown in livelihoods, environmental degradation, lack of adequate compensation for affected populations. (fidh.org)	Public report (2024); widely cited by NGOs and media
Human Rights Watch (HRW) — “Our Trust Is Broken”: Loss of Land and Livelihoods for Oil Development in Uganda (Jul 2023)	HRW	– Land acquisition and resettlement for EACOP & related projects threatens thousands of households; many risk losing farms, graves, homes and community infrastructure.- Despite company promises of compensation and resettlement, many affected people say the remedy mechanisms are ineffective or inaccessible; some have not received anything despite losing homes or land. (Human Rights Watch)	Public report (2023) — used in litigation and advocacy
HRW — “Working on oil is forbidden”: Crackdown against environmental defenders in Uganda (Nov 2023)	HRW	– Since c. 2021, multiple arrests, intimidation, harassment, threats, and in some cases alleged torture of activists, community members, students and protesters opposed to EACOP and related oil development.- Detentions, raids, threats following foreign-based court hearings (French duty-of-vigilance lawsuits) were used to intimidate returning activists. (Human Rights Watch)	Public report (2023) — highlights repression of defenders and shrinking civil space
Legal complaint under France’s duty‑of‑vigilance law — filed Oct 2019 by NGOs (including Amis de la Terre France, Survie, and Ugandan environmental groups)	Amis de la Terre France, Survie + Ugandan associations (e.g. NAPE / Friends of the Earth Uganda, others)	– Alleged failure by TotalEnergies (or its subsidiaries) to adequately identify, prevent or mitigate human‑rights and environmental risks tied to Tilenga and EACOP projects.- Claim includes violations of property rights, right to food (by depriving people of land and livelihoods), inadequate compensation, harmful flooding, forced displacement and damage to environment. (corporateaccountability.fidh.org)	Ongoing civil procedure in French courts; pleadings occurred in 2022 after mediation was refused. (TotalEnergies.com)
2023–2024 follow-up litigation (second mechanism of duty-of-vigilance law) by 26 affected persons + civil‑society organisations	Affected Ugandan individuals + CSOs (Amis de la Terre FR, Survie, AFIEGO, NAPE Uganda, TASHA, etc.)	– Civil liability and reparations sought for cumulative harms inflicted over several years: displacement, loss of land and livelihoods, environmental damage, failure to implement effective vigilance and compensation. (amisdelaterre.org)	Legal action ongoing — aims to hold the company civilly liable rather than only preventive injunctions.
European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) — criminal complaint against TotalEnergies (Nov 2025) over alleged complicity in war crimes, torture and enforced disappearances in Mozambique	ECCHR, with support of local and international partners (e.g. Justiça Ambiental / Friends of the Earth Mozambique)	– Allegations concern the so-called “container massacre” at the site of the Mozambique LNG project (Afungi, Cabo Delgado) between July–September 2021. Soldiers allegedly detained civilians fleeing insurgency, held them in metal containers, tortured them, caused disappearances or killings.- TotalEnergies is accused of materially and financially supporting the local security forces (the “Joint Task Force”) guarding the site, making it complicit. (ECCHR)	Complaint filed 17 Nov 2025 before the French National Anti‑Terrorism Prosecutor (PNAT); Mozambican authorities also opened an investigation in 2025. (ECCHR)