Uganda & Tanzania: NGOs petition regional court to stop construction of oil pipeline citing social & environmental concerns
"Natural Justice joins legal challenge against the East Africa Pipeline"
...Africa is facing its own Standing Rock moment. The Tanzanian and Ugandan governments have signed a deal that will result in the development of the 1 445 km long East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline. It will traverse two countries and transport 216 000 barrels of oil a day. The EACOP will be the longest pipeline in East Africa, leading to the displacement of thousands of villagers, environmental destruction and contribute significant carbon emissions. This is the time for communities across Africa to rise up against these types of short-sighted developments....
....[A coalition of NGOs is] challenging the pipeline in the East African Court as a way to stop its development for the time being and challenge some of the environmental authorisations that have been approved. On the 10 September 2020, the Government of Uganda and Total International signed the Host Government Agreement for the EACOP project. A day later, the President of Uganda traveled to Tanzania to initiate the intergovernmental agreement with the Tanzanian government...
The organisations bringing the case argue that the agreements were signed without due regard to Uganda’s national laws and the East African Treaty. Uganda signed the agreements with Total E&P Limited without an approved Environmental and Social Impact Assessment from the National Environmental Management Authority, as required by law.