Ugandan farmers sue TotalEnergies’ oil pipeline project in UK court

Four Ugandan farmers have filed a lawsuit before the High Court in London, U.K., against a contentious oil pipeline under construction in Uganda and Tanzania, human rights group Avaaz announced at a press conference on July 7. The 1,443-kilometer (897-mile) East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) will stretch from the Tilenga and Kingfisher oil fields in landlocked Uganda to the Tanzanian port of Tanga for export. The pipeline is being built by French energy giant TotalEnergies. “We are incredibly excited to bring this claim,” said Matthew Renshaw, a partner at law firm Leigh Day, which is representing the claimants. “It is against EACOP Limited, which is a U.K.-registered company that has the potential to cause devastation in Uganda and in the wider world.” Joanna Setzer, an associate professor at the London School of Economics’ Grantham Research Institute, said at the press conference that U.K. courts are looking at similar cases of U.K.-registered companies allegedly causing harm in other countries. “But the timing is critical in this case because it’s before the damage, before the harm occurs,” she said. The Tilenga and Kingfisher fields lie near Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest protected area and home to endangered Rothschild’s giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) and African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana). The pipeline will also cross 16 protected areas and the Lake Victoria Basin that’s vital for more than 40 million people. Environmental groups have warned that the ecosystem could suffer severe damage in the event of an oil spill. “Tomorrow, after their pipes get old, there will be oil spills that will be poured into our waters and the little we are harvesting today, I don’t think we will be able to harvest it tomorrow,” Racheal Tugume, one of the claimants, said at the press conference. Beyond its environmental impacts, EACOP has also raised concerns over human rights violations. More than 100,000 people, most of them farmers, have been displaced to make way for the project. Some of those affected, including one of the claimants, said they have still not received adequate financial compensation. “I lost 42% of my land and I was inadequately compensated,” said Samuel Abidimba, one of the claimants. “I was not able to find another piece of land with the money they gave me to cultivate and grow enough food to support my family.” Uganda has adopted climate legislation that offers legal protection against environmental harm, but EACOP has so far not faced legal action inside the country. Setzer said this may be linked to the country’s political climate: Many opponents of the project, including some of the claimants, say they’ve faced intimidation and pressure. Environmental activists have also been repeatedly arrested after protesting against the pipeline. EACOP is expected to begin operations in 2027, with production from the oil fields projected to last around 20 years. Banner image: Rothschild’s giraffes at Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda. The Tilenga and Kingfisher fields lie close to the park. Image by Daryona via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).