In a landmark ruling, the East African Court of Justice dismissed a legal challenge against the multi-billion dollar East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project.
The court’s decision stemmed from the civil society groups’ failure to adhere to the prescribed filing deadline.
EACOP, a $10 billion initiative spearheaded by TotalEnergies, aims to transport crude oil from Ugandan oilfields to Tanzania’s Indian Ocean port of Tanga.
Environmental and human rights activists have vehemently opposed the project, citing its potential harm to fragile ecosystems and local livelihoods.
The court, based in Arusha, Tanzania, ruled that the 2020 lawsuit fell outside the permissible filing window, rendering it inadmissible.
Civil society groups expressed their disappointment with the “unjust” ruling and vowed to appeal against it.
Lucien Limacher of Natural Justice, an environmental organization, criticized the court’s failure to grant petitioners a fair hearing.
Limacher lamented the ruling as a testament to the global north’s and African governments’ disregard for environmental protection and the climate impact of oil and gas projects.
EACOP spans 1,443 kilometers, connecting Uganda’s Lake Albert oilfields to the Tanzanian port of Tanga.
TotalEnergies holds a 62% stake in the project, while Ugandan and Tanzanian state-owned oil companies and China National Offshore Oil Corporation hold 15% and 8% shares, respectively.
Lake Albert’s estimated oil reserves stand at 6.5 billion barrels, with 1.4 billion barrels considered recoverable.
Uganda’s oil production is slated to commence in 2025, almost two decades after the reserves’ discovery. President Yoweri Museveni has hailed the project as an economic savior for the poverty-stricken landlocked nation.