"Mass arrests in Uganda, as hundreds gather worldwide urging China to halt EACOP" 26 June 2024

Hundreds of people gathered outside Chinese embassies and financial institutions in 10 countries today - with another action expected to take place on the 28th in Washington DC - calling on China to reject financial support for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and related oil field projects. The demonstrations took place across Africa and Europe in a coordinated day of action organized by Ugandan, Tanzanian and other StopEACOP campaign members.

In Uganda, 30 activists were arrested, underscoring the escalating repression faced by those opposing the EACOP project... This was the third time local civil society groups in Uganda and Tanzania working with project-affected people tried to bring their messages to the Chinese embassies through peaceful demonstrations. Civil society and community-based organisations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and South Africa joined their effort...

Global groups in Europe also showed solidarity by demonstrating outside the Chinese embassies and consulates in their respective countries, carrying letters from affected people and civil society in Uganda and Tanzania. Cities involved included Paris, France, where demonstrators constructed a model pipeline spilling a black oil-like substance in front of the embassy entrance; London and Manchester, UK; The Hague, Netherlands; Düsseldorf, Germany; and Copenhagen, Denmark...

People participating in the global actions are specifically urging the Chinese state-owned financial institutions, including the China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation (SINOSURE), the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank), and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), to make sound decisions...

All of the Chinese embassies, except for the one in Tanzania, refused to meet with the protestors or receive the materials. The embassy in Tanzania briefly met with the action representatives and accepted the materials, although without promise of a response...