30 Students Arrested Over Protesting EACOP Operations In Uganda

Police in Kampala have arrested 30 activist in a demonstration against EACOP at the Chinese Embassy in Kololo claiming they were protesting illegally.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango said that they have arrested nine females and 21 males including one non Uganadan who were protesting against East African Crude Oil Pipeline(EACOP) project operations in Uganda without permission from Uganda police.

The suspects are currently detained at Jinja road Police station in Kampala and will be charged with unlawful Assembly. Said Onyango.

EACOP is a pipeline that will transport oil produced from Uganda’s Lake Albert oilfields to the port of Tanga in Tanzania where the oil will then be sold onwards to world markets.  The pipeline is buried and once topsoil and vegetation have been re-instated people and animals will be able to cross freely anywhere along its length.

EACOP runs 1,443km from Kabaale, Hoima district in Uganda to the Chongoleani Peninsula near Tanga Port in Tanzania.  80% of the pipeline is in Tanzania. It is a buried thermally insulated 24″ pipeline along with six pumping stations (two in Uganda and four in Tanzania) ending at Tanga with a Terminal and Jetty and here crude oil will be loaded onto tankers.

However Protesters majory students from various universities  under climate activism were matching toward the Chinese Embassy demanding to stop EACOP operations in Uganda

The Activists are advocating for the protection o human rights and the mitigation of climate change.

Recently the same group petitioned Uganda Human Rights boss Mariam Wangadya raising issues of human rights violations allegedly by police and EACOP project.