Response from TotalEnergies to allegations of forced evictions in Uganda
... [W]e’d like to state that the above press articles claim incidents occurring to human rights defenders and referring to events that are completely unrelated to our activities.
... The villages in question are situated several kilometers away from either Tilenga or EACOP infrastructure. The land in question is not affected by the projects and is not part of the land acquisition programme. Additionally, none of the persons mentioned in the article are Tilenga or EACOP Project Affected Persons... [N]either TEPU and EACOP Ltd have any record of persons, NGOs or Human Rights Defenders raising concerns or grievances in relation to this land.
... [N]either of TEPU or EACOP Ltd work with an organisation called Magnum Security... Nevertheless, we have sought clarification from the relevant authorities regarding the claims. We understand that the evictions may have been conducted by a private individual who claimed that the evicted persons were occupying his land unlawfully.
... TEPU recognizes the importance of protecting human rights defenders and does not accept any threat or attack against those who peacefully defend and promote human rights in connection with its activities. (See the TEPU’s Statement on Human Rights Defenders (HRD)).