Ugandan and French groups led by Friends of the Earth France have appealed against TotalEnergies and its oil operations in Uganda for a second time.
Twenty-six Ugandan victims are involved in the proceedings, all of which filed claims against the French energy company over the Tilenga and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) projects on Lake Albert and Kabarega Falls, located in a nature park.
The projects provided for the drilling of more than 400 wells and production of about 200,000 barrels of oil per day.
As the French NGO pointed out, the TotalEnergies projects have displaced "thousands" of Ugandans without sufficient compensation.
"It is unacceptable that foreign oil companies continue to make extraordinary profits while communities affected by their projects in Uganda are harassed, displaced, poorly compensated and living in abject poverty on their own land," said Frank Muramuzi, executive director of Friends of the Earth's Ugandan branch.
In addition, the organization noted that some plaintiffs "have been threatened, harassed, and arrested simply for daring to criticize oil projects in Uganda and Tanzania and defend the rights of affected communities."
The lawsuit is based on the French Vigilance Act, which requires multinational corporations to avert risks to human rights, human health and the environment posed by their operations.
The first lawsuit against the firm in 2019 sought a court-ordered stay of the projects in a special fast-track process, but was unsuccessful. The judge found that TotalEnergies' vigilance plan was legally adequate.
Last September, an EU resolution accused the EACOP project of "violating human rights" and "creating social and environmental risks."