Despite repression and the risk of imprisonment, communities affected by Eacop (East African Crude Oil Pipeline), TotalEnergies’ mega-project for oil exploration in Uganda and Tanzania, continue to denounce the conditions in which they are displaced. In Tanga, the Tanzanian city where crude oil extracted from the shores of Lake Albert in Uganda will be transported by a 1,443-kilometre heated pipeline, a hundred people affected by the layout of the structure and the construction of the storage terminal demonstrated on Thursday 29 August to demand fairer compensation and an end to the project.
They recalled broken promises, such as the payment of food rations and money that was supposed to compensate for the confiscation of their land and the loss of their crops. Fishermen are also among them. “Some have still not received any compensation, although the works deprive them of part of their fishing area and the noise disturbs marine fauna”“A 2km long jetty ending in a loading platform should enable tankers to pick up oil for export,” explains Richard Senkondo, executive director of the environmental association OCE (Organisation for Community Engagement), a member of the global StopEacop coalition.
A few days earlier, demonstrations with similar demands took place in Hoima, the nerve centre of the mining project in western Uganda, and in Kampala. Nearly 300 people travelled to Hoima on Monday to hand in a letter of complaint to Eacop representatives. They were stopped by the police. In the capital, 21 people, including human rights activists and climate campaigners calling for a just transition to renewable energy, were arrested and remanded in custody pending a court appearance. They were walking towards Parliament and the Chinese embassy.
More than 100,000 people affected
The Chinese state-owned company Cnooc (China National Offshore Oil Corporation) is associated with TotalEnergies with 28% in the joint venture created with the Ugandan national company (15%) to exploit the two oil fields of Tilenga and Kingfisher. It is also, to a lesser extent (8%), a shareholder in Eacop, together with the two national companies, Uganda and Tanzania.
Asked by The world Regarding this new episode of violence, TotalEnergies indicates that its subsidiary in Uganda has initiated “investigations into these arrests” and refers to the comments of its CEO, Patrick Pouyanné, before the Senate committee investigating TotalEnergies’ liabilities, on Monday, April 29. When people are incarcerated, “My teams are tasked with intervening directly with the authorities, asking them to treat the cases with kindness and to release the people in question as soon as possible. This is what I can say about Uganda.”the mayor’s leader responded, questioned by elected officials about repeated human rights violations.
In early 2024, former Beninese prime minister and banker Lionel Zinsou was tasked with a mission to assess the land acquisition programme in Uganda and Tanzania. The publication of his findings, scheduled for April, is still awaited. More than 100,000 people are affected in both countries. TotalEnergies claims that 98% of them received compensation. But the way their consent was obtained and the amount of money paid continue to be criticised.
Far from playing appeasement, the Ugandan government is stepping up its pressure to silence dissenting voices. “The restriction of civil rights affects the entire country but takes on a specific dimension when it comes to the oil issue.” Sacha Feierabeud of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) notes. For six years, the organisation has documented violence and intimidation against communities and activists opposing the project. In early June, Stefen Kwikiriza was abducted by soldiers in plain clothes and then held for a week at an undisclosed location, where he was interrogated and beaten before being released on the side of a road.
The financial agreement has not yet been completed.
These practices can be described as “forced disappearances” AND “inhuman treatment” Mr Kwikiriza is a volunteer for a local association that supports people affected by the Kingfisher production site, operated by the company Cnooc. On the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where numerous armed groups operate, the area is highly militarised and difficult to access.
TotalEnergies has not yet officially finalised the financial arrangements for this controversial project. The estimated investment of 10 billion dollars (9 billion euros) will have to be covered 60% by bank loans. The call for a boycott launched by the StopEacop campaign has so far led to the withdrawal of 24 major banks.
However, during a press conference on Wednesday, August 21 in Kampala, Uganda’s Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa suggested that “nine European banks” could join China Export Import (Exim) and China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation (Sinosure) to finalize the financing round. The final investment decision, discussed since 2022, could thus be announced in September, according to the minister. Requested by the world, TotalEnergies declined to comment.
