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Uganda: 15 activists arrested in Kampala following protest against oil pipeline

Pabio November 12, 2024

Police in Kampala arrested 15 activists who were protesting in front of Parliament on Monday against ongoing oil projects in Uganda.

The activists, mainly young Ugandans, were protesting against the construction of the East African Oil Pipeline (EACOP), a major project which they say threatens the environment and the livelihoods of local communities.

Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango confirmed the arrests, specifying that the demonstrators, currently detained at the central police station, are accused of “common nuisance”.

Onyango explained: “They are against this development and chose to demonstrate at Parliament. We managed to arrest 15 people.”

He further urged Ugandans to adopt peaceful methods of protest, stressing the importance of lawful protests.

Activists are strongly opposed to the EACOP project, which will transport oil from Uganda to Tanzania.

They expressed concerns about its potential impact on biodiversity, community displacement and environmental degradation.

Environmental groups have already warned of the damage the project could cause to natural resources, including Lake Victoria and several national parks, as well as increased carbon emissions associated with transporting oil.

Earlier, students and ordinary Ugandans, united under the banner of Students Against EACOP Uganda, delivered a petition to the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among.

The petition calls on the Ugandan government, alongside international players Total Energies and Chinese company CNOOC, to stop the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). The petitioners argue that the project will have devastating consequences on the environment and human rights.

One of the main concerns highlighted is the pipeline’s potential impact on Uganda’s natural resources, particularly Lake Victoria, which the pipeline will cross for almost a third of its 1,443 kilometer route.

Campaigners say the project threatens biodiversity in key national parks, such as Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth, and will contribute to global carbon emissions, exacerbating climate change.

“We refuse to die for fossil fuels in the face of a worsening climate crisis,” the petition says, condemning the environmental implications of the pipeline, including the displacement of thousands of Ugandans from their ancestral lands and the destruction of wildlife habitats. local fauna.