Forty-seven Ugandan students from Kyambogo University in Kampala were arrested during a peaceful march to deliver a petition to Parliament against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project, piloted by TotalEnergies.
The demonstration, organized in response to growing concerns about the project’s environmental impact, ended with police intervention, who arrested the activists before they reached their destination.
Two of the students were charged with inciting violence, according to local authorities.
The EACOP project, which is international in scope, involves the construction of a 1,443-kilometer pipeline linking the oil fields of Lake Albert, on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to the Tanzanian coast on the Indian Ocean.
The project, estimated to cost $10 billion, is being carried out in collaboration with China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and the Tanzanian government.
A strategic but controversial project
The Ugandan government, under the leadership of President Yoweri Museveni, is presenting the EACOP project as a key element in the country’s economic development.
Exploiting the estimated 6.5 billion barrels of crude oil beneath Lake Albert is seen as a unique opportunity to transform Uganda’s economy, generate substantial revenues and improve national infrastructure.
However, the project faces vigorous opposition both inside and outside the country.
Environmental organizations denounce the high risks to local ecosystems, particularly in the Murchison Falls Natural Park, where 419 wells are to be drilled.
This park, one of Uganda’s most important biodiversity reserves, could suffer irreversible damage, affecting not only flora and fauna, but also the local communities that depend on these natural resources.
International pressure and environmental impact
Opposition to the EACOP project is not limited to local activists.
Internationally, several NGOs and human rights organizations are expressing concern about the environmental and social consequences of the pipeline.
They are also highlighting the contradictions between such a project and global commitments to reduce carbon emissions and promote the energy transition.
Against this backdrop, international pressure is mounting for the players involved to reconsider the viability and ethics of such a project.
As Uganda and Tanzania press ahead with their plans to develop oil infrastructures, the question of the long-term impact on the environment and local populations remains central.
Recent arrests of activists show that tensions are only growing, highlighting the complexity of the issues involved in exploiting natural resources in developing countries.
