Environmentalists are concerned that the project would displace local inhabitants and harm the ecology.
Yet, the oil project’s participants have fought against this argument.
On Tuesday, a French court denied the energy giant Total Energies’ appeal involving the contested oil projects in Tanzania and Uganda.
Six French and Ugandan activist organizations accuse the French corporation of failing to do all possible to protect people and the environment in the two projects, the Tilenga oil development and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop).
As of press time, both Total Energies and the plaintiff groups had remained mute. The campaigners asked the court to order Total Energies to stop the east African projects in a historic case based on a 2017 French law that makes huge businesses liable for environmental and human rights risks.
Nevertheless, the court refused the application, adding that only a judge who thoroughly investigated the issue would be able to assess if the charges against Total Energies were accurate and then proceed to an audit of real actions.
The Ugandan oil matter has been a major source of debate since last year. While Uganda and Tanzania have joined together to develop a cross-border pipeline, various environmentalist organizations and people, both local and international, have opposed the project.
Uganda and Tanzania authorized the building of a $3.5 billion oil pipeline earlier this year, which will carry the country’s crude to worldwide markets. This permission followed the application of a corporation managed by Total Energies of France (TTEF.PA). The estimated gross reserve is 6 billion barrels, whereas the recoverable oil is 1.4 billion barrels.
Following the ratification, Total Energies and both nations saw more criticism from the international community. Climate activists slammed the project, which would span 1,443 km from Lake Albert in western Uganda to the port of Tanga in Tanzania, saying it threatens to uproot thousands of people and harm the two East African countries’ critical ecosystems.
The Eacop demonstrations also took place in 18 other cities, including Tokyo, Johannesburg, Frankfurt, Brussels, Sendai, Hoima, Nagoya, Toronto, Fukuoka, Goma, Cape Town, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Vancouver. As a response, protests were held in Kampala, London, Paris, and New York.
