PAU cautions Bunyoro youth against sabotaging EACOP oil project

Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) has urged the youth in the Bunyoro sub-region to be patriotic and refrain from sabotaging the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project.

According to PAU, some youth in the region are being manipulated by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) that offer them small sums of money to disrupt ongoing oil development activities in the Albertine Graben.

Samuel Mugisa, the social affairs officer at PAU, stated that certain individuals are luring youth to protest and sabotage the EACOP project. He emphasized that leaders and stakeholders should engage with the youth and discourage them from participating in such disruptive activities.

Several protests have taken place against the EACOP project, particularly from Project-Affected Persons (PAPs), with the most recent one occurring in Kikuube last week. Hundreds of PAPs demanded an immediate halt to the project, carrying placards with messages like “No to land grabs,” “No to eviction,” “No to environmental harm,” and “Stop EACOP.”

The protesters called for the suspension of the project to allow sufficient time for their grievances to be heard and addressed meaningfully. They also demanded an end to the alleged harassment and intimidation by project implementers and the protection of natural parks and biodiversity. They insisted that all oil activities in national parks and protected areas should cease to preserve biodiversity for future generations.

The 1,443 km EACOP pipeline, which will transport crude oil from Hoima, Uganda, to Tanga Port, Tanzania, is a $5 billion project with joint ownership by TotalEnergies (62%), CNOOC Uganda (8%), the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (15%), and the Uganda National Oil Company. The construction of the pipeline is being handled by a joint venture between China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co. Ltd and Worley Limited.

The pipeline will feature six pump stations, two pressure reduction stations, and a marine export terminal in Tanzania. As of the latest update, contractors have laid about 80 kilometers of the pipeline across both Uganda and Tanzania. The pipeline route traverses Uganda through several districts, including Hoima, Kikuube, Kakumiro, Mubende, Gomba, and Kyotera, before crossing into Tanzania.

In November, Hadi Watfa, the Manager of Above Ground Installation for the EACOP project, stated in an interview with Uganda Radio Network (URN) that the project is being executed with environmental sustainability in mind, addressing concerns raised by activists about its impact on the ecosystem.

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URN