Project Affected Persons (PAPs), environmental and human rights activists are up in arms against the continuation of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project which they say poses far-reaching and looming irreversible damage on the environment and the livelihoods of thousands of people.
Protestors took to the streets on Tuesday in Hoima – lately dotted on as the “Oil City” and Kampala, peacefully marching to express their grievances following prior calls that gathered no response from line authorities.
Both protests demand justice and an end to the environmental and human rights violations associated with the project including unfair compensation, displacement, environmental degradation, and the lack of meaningful consultation with communities.
EACOP is a proposed 1,443-kilometre heated pipeline which will transport oil from Hoima, Uganda, to the port of Tanga in Tanzania. It is spearheaded by TotalEnergies and the Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) in partnership with the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) together with the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC).
TotalEnergies is the major shareholder with 62%, UNOC and TPDC own 15% and CNOOC 8%.
Protestors demand an immediate halt on all activities under the EACOP Project until issues facing the affected communities are resolved, reparations for the environmental and social damage already caused, an end to violence against human rights and environmental defenders, genuine consultations with affected communities about their demands for justice and transition to renewable energy alternatives.
In Hoima, the group of 300 project-affected persons who intended to peacefully demonstrate outside the EACOP Company offices and deliver a letter entailing their demands was blocked by the police, allowing a few individuals to proceed with the delivery.
“We came with many people from different communities that are affected by EACOP and wanted to present our letter to the EACOP project officials. As soon as we got there to the gathering point the police surrounded us within minutes and were questioning us. We are not happy with how they have treated us and refused us an opportunity to peacefully demonstrate. Even though a small group of us were able to take our letter to the EACOP offices and were able to talk to the RCC, it is wrong that they have sent us away without giving all of us the chance to come forward and voice our concerns and express our frustrations through peaceful protest to demand that we are taken seriously and are no longer ignored even after all the hardship we have endured because of EACOP,” said Rachel Tugume, one of the EACOP Project-Affected Persons in Hoima District.
A statement issued by the StopEACOP – a coalition of local groups, communities, African and global organisations against the project – ridiculed the authorities, particularly Uganda Police, for suppressing a peaceful protest noting that it is “a direct violation of the communities’ rights to freely express their concerns and demand accountability.”
“This unjustifiable use of force against peaceful demonstrators is a stark reminder of the escalating crisis of arrests, violence, threats, harassment, and intimidation faced by land, human rights, and environmental defenders in Uganda,” the statement reads in part.
“Today we have experienced another set of injustices. As oil-affected communities, who have been demanding for our concerns to be addressed, we have not been getting any answer. This, alongside the continued harassment and threats our community members have been facing for a long time for speaking out, is why we decided to mobilise ourselves to deliver our petition to the EACOP offices in a very peaceful manner. Unfortunately, we were blocked by the security forces including the Hoima RCC, the Kikuube RDC and other police organs who stopped us from delivering our petition. It is an injustice that we continue to experience this sort of disrespect as communities who are impacted by EACOP and who have lost our livelihoods and our land,” said Balach Bakundane, Community Organiser – EACOP Host Communities Organisation.
The Kampala protest, comprising of student and civil society activists, was likewise quelled. 21 activists, including members of the community delegation were violently arrested by police.
The protest was intended to be held outside TotalEnergies’ headquarters and the Parliament.
Brighton Aryampa, an Environmental and Human Rights Lawyer, condemned the arrest noting that the government is prioritizing interests of multinational corporations over the rights of its citizens and the environment.
“We unequivocally condemn these arrests and the ongoing repression of peaceful protestors in Uganda. We demand the immediate release of all those arrested today in Kampala and an end to the violent suppression of community voices. These actions are part of a broader and deeply concerning pattern of state-sanctioned violence and intimidation against those who dare to speak out against the EACOP project,” Aryampa said.
Calling on the international community to join the cause, StopEACOP emphasized in the statement that the voices of the people must not be silenced and solidarity with affected local communities in Uganda has never been more imperative.
“We shall not quit or back down till the concerns of our communities and environment are addressed. Instead of arresting us while exercising our constitutional right to freely assemble, petition, and express our opinions, the government and oil companies should address the concerns we are raising. We don’t have room for new pipelines in Uganda and Africa,” said Barigye Bob, Chairperson – StopEACOP Activists Task Force.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development is exploring for oil in two new regions – Kyoga basin and Moroto-Kadam basin.
The Minister of Energy, Ruth Nankabirwa, confirmed the exploration activities last week, noting that government geologists are conducting preliminary petroleum exploration studies in the aforementioned regions.