The construction of the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) has had devastating impacts on Ugandan families, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released on Monday.

The $3.5 billion fossil fuel project, which is being funded by the French fossil fuel company TotalEnergies EP Uganda, the state-owned Uganda National Oil Company, the state-owned Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation, and the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Company, requires the acquisition of land.

The produced oil and gas resources will be commercialized via the East African Crude Oil Pipeline which will run from Uganda to Tanzania, and the 60,000 barrels of oil per day. Uganda’s oil and gas projects are bringing investment of 15 billion US Dollars into the country. pic.twitter.com/AgKlIeOTX2

— KITAMAGWA JEREMIAH (@kitamagwa) July 10, 2023

TotalEnergies have said they have carried out environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs) and third-party reviews to make sure they are compliant with best practices. They have also introduced a two-phase land acquisition process to compensate those affected.

The first phase allows those affected to continue to use their land, while the second phase compensates them in cash and in-kind. The company claims that 96 percent of the affected persons will receive compensation for the full replacement cost of their land, structures, crops and trees and that four percent will have to relocate their primary dwelling.

However, HRW’s interviews with 94 affected persons revealed that this is not the case. Those affected reported that they had lost crucial sources of income and were pressured and intimidated by TotalEnergies EP officials to accept low and inadequate compensation.

Furthermore, some were not offered the option of replacement land and had to accept a cash settlement which was lower than the cost to replace their land. HRW concluded that the land acquisition process has been marred by delays, poor communication, and inadequate compensation, leaving affected households much worse off than before.

They have made several recommendations to the project operators, the Uganda government, and financial institutions considering providing support to the project. These include increasing compensation amounts, improving government oversight of the project and compensation processes, and withholding funds from the EAOCP.

As of June 2023, a number of 196 replacement houses have been handed over, while the total number of physically displaced households is 547.

It is time for those involved in the EACOP project to take responsibility for the human rights violations that have occurred, and ensure that those affected are adequately compensated for the losses they have suffered. Without immediate action, the lives of thousands of Ugandan families could continue to be devastated by this project.