- Six NGOS have dragged the French energy giant TotalEnergies to a Paris court for disregarding human rights and the environment. The allegations are about its two major oil drilling and pipeline projects in Uganda and Tanzania.
Six NGOs have dragged the French energy giant TotalEnergies to a Paris court for disregarding human rights and the environment. The allegations are about its two major oil drilling and pipeline projects in Uganda and Tanzania. The case came up after three years of procedural delays.
The French organisation Survie, along with Friends of the Earth and four Ugandan NGOs are the organisations who have approached the court. The two infrastructure projects that have come under criticism are the “Tilenga” 419-well drilling project in Uganda, which is partly located in a natural park, and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project the longest oil pipeline in the world, once completed. Both are intended to transport hydrocarbons to the Indian Ocean by crossing 1,400 kilometres of Tanzania.
The NGOs have urged the company to adhere to a 2017 French law that obliges multinationals to be careful about their activities. As per the legislation, the French Company is obliged to prevent violations of human rights, and take care of the health and safety of people and the environment. They have to monitor their foreign subcontractors and suppliers through a “vigilance plan” and identify risks and set up steps to prevent them. It was alleged that about 28,000 people including farmers were deprived of their land and livelihoods and not compensated.
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The hearing of the case in Paris was attended by several associations and politicians, including the MPs. Oil production in Uganda is expected to start in 2025. The project was decried by the European Parliament, and numerous political leaders and associations.
