French fossil-fuel giant TotalEnergies’ planned oil pipeline in East Africa has devastated thousands of people’s livelihoods in Uganda and will contribute to the global climate crisis, according to a report by non-governmental organization (NGO) Human Rights Watch.
The report noted that more than 100,000 people will be displaced due to the pipeline construction, and those already displaced have either not been adequately compensated or have received delayed payment.
In addition, the NGO, based on interviews with 75 displaced families, revealed that some had been pressured and intimidated by TotalEnergies officials and its subcontractors to accept poor levels of compensation that were insufficient to purchase replacement land.
"Many families, particularly along the pipeline corridor, said that they were not being offered the option of replacement land and instead were pressured to accept cash settlements that were below the cost to replace land," the report read.
Furthermore, many local people, as the report noted, were unable to access their land and harvest their crops, which deprived them of their main means of livelihood. This, along with delays in compensation payments, has affected their food security.
Another consequence of the Western company's actions, as Human Rights Watch revealed, would be environmental damage to "Africa’s most sensitive ecosystems," including Murchison Falls National Park and the Murchison Falls-Albert Delta Ramsar site.
"Pipeline ruptures, inadequate waste handling, and other pollution impacts would cause significant damage to sensitive ecosystems – to the land, water, air, and the species that rely on them," the report read.
The NGO added that the EACOP project would contribute to greenhouse gas emissions driving the climate crisis due to the burning of fossil fuels.
In late June, Ugandan and French groups led by French Friends of the Earth filed an appeal against TotalEnergies and its oil operations in Uganda, pointing to inadequate compensation and forced displacement of locals.
The lawsuit is premised on France's Vigilance Law, which obliges transnational corporations to prevent risks to human rights, human health, and the environment arising from their activities.