Uganda
Four Ugandan farmers are taking on French energy giant TotalEnergies in what campaigners are calling a landmark legal challenge over East Africa's controversial crude oil pipeline.
The case, being heard in Britain, targets the 5.6 billion-dollar East African Crude Oil Pipeline, or EACOP, which is due to begin operating in 2027. The 1,400-kilometre pipeline will carry oil from Uganda to Tanzania and is expected to become the world's longest heated crude oil pipeline.
The farmers argue the project violates Uganda's environmental, climate and constitutional laws. Backed by campaign group Avaaz, they are seeking an injunction that could halt oil from flowing through the pipeline.
Environmental groups have labelled EACOP a "carbon bomb", warning it could generate hundreds of millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over its lifetime. They have also raised concerns about drilling near Uganda's Murchison Falls National Park and the risk of damage to sensitive ecosystems.
TotalEnergies says it has adopted strict environmental safeguards and is working to minimise the project's impact.
The lawsuit is believed to be the first time Ugandan environmental laws have been tested before a British court, making it a closely watched case for climate and energy policy worldwide.
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