While the use of fossil fuels is being discouraged worldwide in order to slow down climate change, East Africa is working on an oil pipeline: the 1,400-kilometer East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).

From Kampala to New York, climate activists are trying to prevent construction. They call it a “ticking time bomb”. In their opinion, the consequences for biodiversity, the climate and the people in the region are catastrophic. Above all, however, the companies behind the pipeline see a great economic opportunity.

The construction of the pipeline is delicate in both Uganda and Tanzania; In Uganda, too, there are concerns about a national park along which the planned pipeline runs. Protests are almost immediately suppressed in the country. For David Musira (34), an action in the capital Kampala ended behind bars after he was violently thrown into a van by the police. “The construction is destroying the habitat of wildlife such as chimpanzees and lions,” Musira told NOS.

After a week in prison in Kampala, he is free again. “Many people have been displaced along the route without being financially compensated for it,” he says. According to Musira, the pipeline is also catastrophic for the climate. “Climate change is already hitting us hard here. So we have to do something.”

There are also other dangers, says the conservation organization BothENDS. For example, the pipeline runs along important freshwater sources such as Lake Victoria, where many people also live.

“If there are leaks there, the Niger Delta disaster will be repeated in Nigeria,” said Cindy Coltman, who is in charge of the campaign against the pipeline. There have been oil spills in this area for years. As a result, many residents lost their farmland or their place to fish. Shell has since been held liable for the pollution. “This route through Uganda and Tanzania is not safe at all, while TotalEnergies says it is.”

pressure on investors

BothENDS and other organizations are trying to pressure companies investing in the pipeline through their largest shareholder, TotalEnergies. For example, the pension funds Zorg en Welzijn and ABP are involved. “We tell them the honest story about the project and ask them to pull out.” So far, 24 banks and 18 insurers have complied.

The fuss about the pipeline recently also reached the European Parliament. A resolution was passed there mentioning the adverse effects of construction. MPs have urged TotalEnergies and other shareholders to postpone construction of the pipeline and consider a different route.

But TotalEnergies has no plans to halt construction. The company tells NOS that it is doing everything possible to work as transparently as possible, with respect for the climate and human rights.

“With the route that has now been worked out, we avoid nature parks and cause as little damage as possible,” says Stephanie Platat from the headquarters in Paris. “The pipeline is completely underground and will be replanted everywhere after construction.”

TotalEnergies says that local people have been involved from the start and that people who have to leave their homes will receive money to start a new life elsewhere.

“Hypocritical Attitude”

Both the Ugandan and Tanzanian governments, which each own 15 percent of the pipeline, believe the EU is adopting a neo-colonial and hypocritical stance. The countries do not want any European participation in the project. They say the project will create thousands of jobs and make them less dependent on oil imports.

The pipeline would be vital to both countries’ economies, especially since most of the oil is destined for export. Due to the war in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia, international oil demand will remain high for the time being.

According to David Musira, the Ugandan people will not notice this economic growth at all. He stresses that the vast majority of the pipeline is in the hands of the French oil giant. “The Ugandan part of the money goes into the pockets of the President, his family and friends.”

Meanwhile, construction preparations are continuing in Uganda and Tanzania. “As long as this pipe isn’t in the ground, we can stop it,” thinks BothENDS’ Coltman. “By not letting the attention fade and by showing politicians and investors that TotalEnergies and the other shareholders are misinforming people.”

Musira is not silenced either. Even if he risks arrest, kidnapping and even death. “We once proudly called Uganda the Pearl of Africa. Because of the perfect climate and everything that grows and lives here. This pearl needs to shine again. I fight for that. For our children, for the future.”