The Friends of the Earth association is once again taking the TotalEnergies group to court for violating human rights linked to the EACop projects in East Africa.
“With this new action, we are in an action for damages since the violations took place“, explained on Tuesday June 27 on franceinfo Juliette Renaud, campaign manager at the association Les Amis de la Terre. She is again taking TotalEnergies to court for “violation of human rights” caused by the EACop oil projects (East african crude oil pipeline), a 1,500 km heated oil pipeline to the Tanzanian coast, and Tilenga, a borehole in Uganda encroaching on the Murchison Falls natural park.
>>> Human rights and environmental abuses: revelations about the TotalEnergies oil project in Uganda and Tanzania
Friends of the Earth”accuse Total of a large number of violations“, linked in particular to “land grabbing of more than 118,000 people totally or partially expropriated“.”The court is asked to recognize the civil liability of Total and to condemn [le groupe] to repair these damages“, continues Juliette Renaud.
franceinfo: What do you blame TotalEnergies for?
Juliet Renaud : A large number of violations are blamed and are mainly linked to the land grabbing of tens of thousands of people in Uganda and Tanzania. There are 26 Ugandan community members seeking redress. They were deprived of the free use of their land even before receiving compensation and had to give up their land following pressure and intimidation without their consent.
“They were prohibited from cultivating their land for more than three or four years. All of this led to a violation of their right to adequate food. This caused a severe food shortage.”
Juliette Renaud, Friends of the Earthat franceinfo
Moreover, the first works to build the oil processing plant have caused repeated flooding since last year. A number of these communities and associations have suffered threats and harassment, arrests and therefore violations of their rights to freedom of expression and opinion.
This intimidation was committed by whom?
They are the work of local authorities, the Ugandan police, but also Total employees and subcontractors. It is harassment due to the mere fact that they dare to criticize the oil projects. Even in the cases of intimidation, pressure and arrests made by the Ugandan authorities, there is a responsibility of Total and it is this responsibility that we seek. Total in its duty of vigilance to the obligation to identify and prevent the risks of violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms. This freedom of expression is part of it.
TotalEnergies for its part says that its vigilance plan has been implemented?
This is exactly what is disputed. We endeavor to demonstrate throughout the subpoena that Total has not identified the risks relating to human rights violations that are linked to these projects in its vigilance plan. However, these risks were perfectly identifiable even before embarking on these projects which lead to acts of massive expropriation in two authoritarian countries, Uganda and Tanzania.
“All this affects more than 118,000 people who are totally or partially expropriated from their land to make way for these oil projects.”
Juliette Renaud, Friends of the Earthat franceinfo
Now that the compensation process is underway and some have received their compensation, it is insufficient to purchase equivalent land. We are with this new action in an action for damages since the violations have taken place. The court is asked to recognize the civil liability of Total and to condemn [le groupe] to repair these damages.