Ending the petition, not the fight: our ongoing work to #StopEACOP
Tanzania, Uganda: We have been calling for a halt to the EACOP pipeline project since October 2019 through a petition and other actions. Thanks to a broad resistance movement, construction has made little progress, and the details of the original petition have since become outdated. We are therefore closing the petition and will continue our work within the #StopEACOP network until the project is finally abandoned.
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) is planned to stretch 1,443 kilometers from oil fields at Lake Albert to a port on the Indian Ocean. Behind it are the corporations TotalEnergies from France and CNOOC from China, working with the governments of Uganda and Tanzania. But this multibillion-dollar project threatens Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Albert, Lake Victoria, and numerous other bodies of water. One hundred thousand people are losing their homes. A new oil pipeline also has no place in an era when the climate crisis compels us to move away from fossil fuels like oil.
Our mission is therefore clear: the EACOP must be stopped!
This goal drives our work in many ways.
The #StopEACOP network and beyond
A key platform for resistance in Uganda, Tanzania, and internationally is the #StopEACOP network. Some of the organizations involved represent communities in the oil regions and along the pipeline route, while others are urging banks not to finance the project. Forty-three financial institutions and thirty (re)insurers have already pledged to stay out.
Recently, #StopEACOP has succeeded in linking up with activists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They share the concern that an accident at the Kingfisher oil field on the Ugandan shore of Lake Albert could also pollute Congolese waters. Furthermore, the government in Kinshasa intends to grant oil concessions there, with plans to export the oil through EACOP. Among the most active organizations in the DRC is our partner Réseau CREF.
Standing with those imprisoned
In Kampala, we met with several students who were arrested and put on trial for protesting. Through our petition “Uganda: Stop criminalizing pipeline protesters!”, we called for the release of these courageous activists. We provided them with legal support via the organization Youth for Green Development.
Unfortunately, the government continues to use violence against those who oppose the project. Bob Baribye, for example, spent 85 days in pretrial detention after he and ten others tried to hand a letter of protest to the Kenya Commercial Bank. In an interview with us, he said: “Prison was meant to break my spirit, but instead, it reminded me why this fight matters so deeply.”
Journey to the oil fields
In 2023, we traveled to Uganda to see the situation firsthand. We spoke with local people worried about their livelihoods, those facing displacement, and others already relocated for the project.
Tasha as a steadfast partner
Since 2021, we have been working with the organization Tasha and well-known environmentalist Maxwell Atuhura, who accompanied us on our journey. We helped Tasha set up an office, purchase a motorcycle for village visits, and organize safety training. In a recent media project, Tasha has been training young women and men to record interviews with villagers and share them on radio and in podcasts.
We are closing this petition
Our petition “Uganda: keep the oil in the ground – save Murchison Falls!” originally focused on the Tilenga oil extraction project in the national park. It soon became clear, however, that our campaign needed to include the Kingfisher project at Lake Albert and the EACOP across Uganda and Tanzania. Issues such as the construction of access roads, which were once central, are no longer the focus. Instead, the pipeline’s financing and the rights of local people are now at the heart of our efforts. We are therefore closing this petition.
We would like to thank all 223,057 supporters!
This page is available in the following languages:
Protecting Africa’s rich natural heritage
The Congo Basin is home to the second largest rainforest in the world, habitat of gorillas, chimpanzees and forest elephants. Our partners courageously defend these forests.
Stopping the EACOP oil pipeline
Our partner Tasha is pushing back against the African fossil fuel boom by educating local communities about the dangers of drilling and pipelines.
Uganda: keep the oil in the ground – save Murchison Falls!
Uganda sits on vast oil resources, and three multinational companies are ready to drill – in of all places, Murchison Falls National Park.
The rainforest
A green sea of ferns, mosses, vines and ancient trees. Iridescent butterflies and colorful birds. Flowers in every hue of the rainbow. The “green lung” is a natural wonder of the world. Find out more about the world’s most diverse, fascinating and threatened ecosystem.