Ugandans on Saturday staged protests at Chinese, French and Ugandan missions in New York demanding them to compel TotalEnergies and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Uganda limited to back out of the planned heated East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
They say the project will evict people and endanger the fragile ecosystem.
The EACOP project is planned to run from Hoima district in Western Uganda to Tanga Port in Tanzania which is a distance of 1,445 kilometres and is expected to be commissioned in 2025.
The demonstrators, who included lawyers and human rights activists, asked China, France and Uganda to halt EACOP claiming it is a scam with an intention of plundering Africa.
UG Standard reported that the protesters marched in protest holding placards from the Chinese Embassy to the French Mission and ended up at Uganda House.
On September 15, the European Union (EU) parliament passed a resolution to have the project halted for a year, raising concerns over human rights and environmental violations.
TotalEnergies and CNOOC Uganda limited are leading on the project, supported by Uganda and Tanzanian governments.
There have also been related protests in the past that the project would boost the economy and create employment opportunities for the country.
However, those who have staged protests against the project have in the past been cracked down by Ugandan security forces.
The anti-EACOP protesters say the project will pass through sensitive ecosystems and Wetlands.
Because Uganda’s oil is waxy and solidifies at room temperature it requires to be heated to temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius to liquify it for easy transportation by pipeline.
The pipeline is expected to emit huge carbon emissions to the detriment of the environment, according to estimates by ecologists.
