Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called for the suspension of a major oil project in East Africa led by TotalEnergies, a French multinational corporation. The project, known as the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), involves the development of Ugandan oilfields and the transportation of crude oil through a pipeline to Tanzania’s Indian Ocean port of Tanga. HRW has raised concerns about the project’s severe environmental impact and its detrimental effects on local communities.
TotalEnergies and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation signed a $10 billion agreement to undertake this project, which has faced significant opposition from human rights activists, environmental groups, and legal challenges in France. The European Parliament has also criticized the initiative.
While TotalEnergies claims to have fairly compensated those displaced by the project and implemented measures to protect the environment, HRW’s research indicates otherwise. In interviews conducted with displaced families, HRW found that many had received delayed or inadequate compensation. Some individuals claimed they were coerced into selling their land. The report highlights instances where families incurred debts while waiting for compensation, leading to children dropping out of school due to financial constraints.
Furthermore, HRW reveals that some individuals were compelled to sign compensation agreements in English, a language they could not read. The presence of government and security officials at public meetings created an intimidating atmosphere, according to the testimonies collected by HRW.
In summary, HRW contends that the EACOP project will cause irreparable harm to fragile ecosystems and has resulted in human rights violations, inadequate compensation, and economic hardships for affected communities. They call for the project’s immediate cessation, emphasizing the detrimental consequences it poses both locally and globally.
One 79-year-old man said: “In my heart I said no, but because I thought government would be hard on me, I gave in and signed.”
Those who refused to sign said they faced pressure from company representatives as well as harassment from local government and security officials.
