‘Very disturbing’: crackdown on oil pipeline protests in Uganda concerns UN rights expert

“In mid-September, four dozen university students marched through Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, to deliver a petition to parliament calling on the government to end fossil fuel investments and scrap the 900-mile east Africacrude oil pipeline (Eacop) ... Police officers refused to let them enter parliament. Most were chased away, but four male students were corralled under a table near the main entrance, where they say police kicked and punched them, and beat them with wood.

“After the beatings, the students were handcuffed and taken to a police station, where they say officers accused them of having been paid to protest against the pipeline. The four students spent the weekend in one of the city’s most notorious and overcrowded prisons, before being charged with public nuisance and released on bail.

“‘Young people are the majority in our country and we are the most vulnerable to the climate crisis. But anyone rising up against Eacop is facing the brutal wrath of the regime,’ said Magambo, who suffered a dislocated ankle and damage to his left eardrum. ‘It is a laughable case, but they want to keep us busy in court so that we can’t organize and protest. But we have to join the global community’s fight against fossil fuels,’ he said.

“Last month’s arrests were the latest in a wave of criminal charges and other judicial harassment against activists and organizations, raising concerns about the environmental and social impacts of the east African pipeline – which is one of the largest fossil fuel projects under construction in the world.”

Having grown up on a farm in Uganda, I have seen the damage of the climate crisis firsthand. My family lived in a small village near the banks of Lake Victoria, the second largest freshwater lake in the world, and my childhood was spent climbing trees, planting seeds, and eating fruit straight from the trees. We grew bananas, guavas, beans, cassava, sugarcane, and coffee. It sounds idyllic but I remember the first time I realised climate change would affect us—it was a rainy season unlike any we had seen before. For days and nights heavy rain battered the fields and strong winds bent and broke the crops until they were unsavable. Not only did the rains affect us financially, but I missed months of my schooling because flooding blocked the roads and I couldn’t get to school.

Burning fossil fuels, which releases carbon pollution into the air and causes our world to overheat, is the number one cause of the climate chaos we’re facing. 2024 may be even hotter than 2023, resulting in even more catastrophic weather.

But there is still hope. Those with power must act now, and the insurance industry holds more power than most to slow the crisis and protect our future. Without insurance, fossil fuel projects can’t operate. If insurance companies updated their policies and refused to insure new fossil fuel projects, there would be no new oil pipelines, liquefied natural gas terminals, or dirty coal mines. If they focused instead on insuring clean, safe energy and a just transition, our communities and our world would be safer for current and future generations.

The insurance industry’s role is to protect and manage risk, but right now it is failing spectacularly at both. Instead of protecting communities, it’s adding fuel to the fire by continuing to insure new fossil fuel projects. The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) is a prime example. This proposed pipeline would run 1,443 kilometers between Hoima in Uganda and Tanga in Tanzania, but the project has stalled as it has not yet secured full insurance and financing due to the many human and environmental rights abuses associated with it. These include the harassment and imprisonment of peaceful protesters, the disturbing of sacred burial grounds, and the forcible removal of communities to make way for the pipeline. If EACOP gets insured and goes ahead, it will cross 200 rivers and pass through Lake Victoria’s water basin. Over 40 million people depend on the lake for survival, as well as countless animal species; if the pipe leaks and spills oil into the water, what will happen to them?

The corporations behind EACOP say it will “unlock East Africa’s potential,” but let’s be clear: It is neocolonialism at its best, and the only ones who will gain are the foreign companies set to profit. EACOP will irrevocably damage East Africa’s biodiversity, displace thousands of people, destroy their livelihoods and communities, and unleash 32.3 million metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere per year, setting off a climate bomb that will make our world overheat to devastating levels. The International Energy Agency has stated that there can be no new oil pipelines if we are to save the future, and yet insurance companies including AIG, Tokio Marine, Chubb, Hiscox, and Lloyd’s of London still refuse to rule out insuring EACOP.

Here's some easy steps you can take to help stop EACOP ( a pipeline being built in Africa that would harm Africans and our planet)

‘Monstrous’ east African oil project will emit vast amounts of carbon, data shows

Ok so I was watching videos on the web like the chronically online person I am, and I came across this video of some people, from the Students against EACOP movement, spraying orange paint on a lightened facade (huge glass windows) of a building, and then holding a banner in front of it and etc, and THEN a man comes out with a pressure hose (don't think that's the actual name for it though) and starts washing off the paint, while the movement people are still there, and THEN some of the alleged students that are against the EACOP just, started sitting down in front of the sprayed windows (it wasn't spray paint though, it was some special devise for delivering a larger amount of paint, and that's the best explanation I can give) as to stop the man from washing them. The video stopped there, but it didn't seem like their taking a stance there would stop the man from doing his job. Now, I know this man was probably annoyed and did what he did on purpose, but I want to assume he was just doing his job, because while he did not look like a janitor, he also didn't seem interested in engaging with them in an argument or any other interaction to let them know they were a pester, which is something I think an affected office worker would want to do. I also think that a random office worker would have no business taking it all so personal and being annoyed and leaving whatever work they were doing just to wash off the paint and make them feel unimportant, I bet they all have better things to do other than, be bothered. So I assume this person was asked to wash off the paint, and just followed instructions. Now, this is just my personal opinion, but what I SAW from the VERY SHORT video, was that these kids/young adults seemed entitled. They just got their fancy painting devices, sprayed some of their orange paint on a fancy facade of a big building, held their banner in front of it and started delivering their speech to be recorded and uploaded to social media to receive attention and look important. Nothing wrong with that, to this point, and I could still be wrong! Don't think I'm sure they are just entitled kids, maybe they are genuinely against EACOP and they genuinely care, and they are just using social media in the only way they are to be used, to spread the word and hopefully create awareness. The possibility of their entitlement is not what I'm outraged about. They were rude. Even in the best of all cases (they genuinely care) they had no reason to sit down in front of the painted windows. That's just a pose, and rude. I get it, they didn't want to get their paint washed, but why? Because it would make your video look lame? Because of course, it doesn't look good if in the middle or your speech someone comes and washes off your awesome orange background. But let's see it as an opportunity! If we sit in front of it, we'll look daredevil and string and brave! We'll be standing up to them, like "no! You don't get to wash off this paint! This is the sign of the shame we put on you! You don't get to rid yourself from it!" Well, it's not actually that heroic. And to me it really seems like they just did it to save their video from being lame. It resembles the act of chaining yourself to a tree to save if from being cut down, except it's not a tree (a living being, an important, and very pretty one too) you're protecting, it's just orange painting over a facade! Ok ok, but that's not what has me writing this unimportant post, it's the rudeness. Because, under the worst circumstances (which are the circumstances one must consider when making decisions; for example, when calculating the shit out of a bridge to design it and build it, you'd have to consider the possibility of it having to hold 50 40-tons-trucks, just a silly example) this man is just in charge of the maintenance of the building, and since it's a fancy building, they don't want the fancy glass facades to be imperfect, therefore they are, without fail, always to make sure the facades are impeccable, that's what they're hired and payed for.

Had to start another block because I surpassed the limit of characters. As you can tell, I'm ranting. Anyway, the point is, there is a possibility that this man is just doing his job, and doesn't even give a dime about their movement, all he knows is that there is a huge splatter of orange paint on the facade and his job is to wash it off. So he goes and does that. I won't even address the possibility of this being an obstacle to his happiness that day because one may argue that I'm just overthinking. But they could've considered the possibility of him just doing his job, not even caring about THEM. And they took it personal (personal as in against their cause) and decided they had to do something stop him. From doing his job. And that's the best case for them. But what if they were indeed entitled needy kids wanting attention and protecting their opportunity to look cool? Either way, I just thought it was rude, and UNNECESSARY, and wanted to talk about that.

But then again, I noticed that their banner read "#students against EACOP" and looked up what EACOP is and understood why someone could object to it, then I read an article on the Total energies website about why the EACOP project is actually good and I'm not saying I believe them because I know companies can tell lies right, but is anyone willing to explain the whole thing to le please? I want to know what's going on

Civil Engineer at DOCG (EACOP Project Bomba la Mafuta)

Civil Engineer at DOCG (EACOP Project Bomba la Mafuta)

Job Description JOB ADVERTISEMENT FOR VARIOUS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR REFERENCE NO. MST-TZ-20221216 The EACOP Project development involves the engineering, construction, operation and maintenance of a crude oil export pipeline crossing Uganda and Tanzania and an onshore Marine Terminal in Chongoleani, near Tanga Port in Tanzania. Daqing Oilfield Construction Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter as…

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Uganda minister slams European Union criticism of mega oil project

Uganda’s energy minister on Tuesday slammed the European Parliament for seeking to delay a massive and controversial East African oil project over human rights violations and environmental concerns.The project, which includes drilling in Murchison Falls, Uganda’s largest national park, has run into strong opposition from activists and environmental groups that say it threatens the region’s…

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Joining Into the delirium of EACOP

Everyone is voicing their thoughts on the “Joint motion for a resolution on violations of human rights in Uganda and Tanzania linked to investments in fossil fuels projects” by the European Parliament that came to be on 14th September 2022 that impacted the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. Social media is wild with views that seem both deep and shallow, which makes this internet era very…

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EACOP coating plant commissioned

EACOP coating plant commissioned #EACOPcoatingplant #PetroleumAuthorityofUganda #top

Mr Martin Tiffen – Managing Director_ EACOP Company leades a tour of the coating plant facility (PHOTO/Courtesy). KAHAME, Tanzania – Uganda and Tanzania have registered yet another key milestone following the commissioning of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Coating plant, nestled at Sojo , Nzege – Tabora Region in Tanzania. Dr Ruth Nankabirwa, the Minister of Energy and Mineral…

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منظمات بيئية تقاضي شركة توتال الفرنسية بسبب خط أنابيب النفط في أوغندا ومشروعات أخرى للوقود الأحفوري

بدأت أربع منظمات بيئية إجراءات قانونية ضد شركة توتال إنرجيز، أكبر شركة طاقة فرنسية ، بشأن تأثير تطوير خط أنابيب النفط التابع للمجموعة في أوغندا ومشروعات أخرى للوقود الأحفوري. وقالت تحالفات داروين كليماكس، وسي شيبرد فرانس، ووايلد ليجال، ووقف EACOP-Stop Total في أوغندا، إنها قدمت شكوى إلى مكتب المدعي العام في نانتير بشأن “إجراءات مكافحة المناخ” التي قامت بها شركة توتال إنرجي. ويقولون، إن الشركة…

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Marsh wins bid for controversial oil pipeline project - report

Marsh wins bid for controversial oil pipeline project – report

“We will continue doing the work ourselves to make Marsh McLennan a more sustainable company, including our pledge to be carbon neutral by 2021,” they said, as reported by the BIJ. The EACOP project and another controversial project, the Adani Carmichael coal mine, have been targeted by climate campaigners, who are also urging the insurance industry to rule out insurance and underwriting for both…

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Resisting Corporate Colonialism, Why we must stop EACOP now!

Tomorrow, eleven Ugandan students will appear before a Kampala court for their activism against the planned East Africa crude oil pipeline (EACOP), one of the largest fossil fuel infrastructure projects currently under development globally. This is the latest in a series of harassment, threats, and arbitrary arrests against EACOP protestors.

These trials are part of a deeply concerning escalation of threats against human rights defenders in Uganda, particularly those raising concerns around oil development.

Police arrested the students last year, and according to media reports, beat them before remanding them to a maximum security prison. They are charged with the colonial era “common nuisance” offense, which Ugandan authorities have used to suppress legitimate protests.

Activists in Uganda oppose EACOP because of the risks it poses to the environment, local communities, and its potential contribution to climate change. And its construction coincides with a growing consensus amongst experts, including from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, that there cannot be any new fossil fuel projects if the world is to limit the worst impacts of climate change. [Human Rights Watch]

Lifting Engineer at DOCG (EACOP Project Bomba la Mafuta)

Lifting Engineer at DOCG (EACOP Project Bomba la Mafuta)

Job Description JOB ADVERTISEMENT FOR VARIOUS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR REFERENCE NO. MST-TZ-20221216 The EACOP Project development involves the engineering, construction, operation and maintenance of a crude oil export pipeline crossing Uganda and Tanzania and an onshore Marine Terminal in Chongoleani, near Tanga Port in Tanzania. Daqing Oilfield Construction Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter as…

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