UK: Ugandan farmers will seek to stop EACOP pipeline in British courts
“Ugandan Farmers Sue EACOP in London in Last Minute Effort to Stop Crude Oil Pipeline”, 3 April 2026
Environmental activists and farmer groups opposed to the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), the world’s longest heated oil pipeline, are mounting a last-ditch legal effort meant to stop its construction in a suit they plan to have filed in London, UK…
The groups have engaged the services of the London law firm of Leigh Day, one of the UK’s leading environmental and public interest litigation firms…
…the groups believe their petition stands a good chance of success since EACOP is owned by a company registered at the Companies House in London – the EACOP Ltd.
This is despite the controversial 1,443 km pipeline, principally owned by TotalEnergies… looks all set for completion later in the year, with the first oil exports due in October 2026…
The plaintiffs, who include project-affected persons (PAPs) from across Uganda, are buoyed by the support of the global campaign group Avaaz, which in February initiated a fundraising effort to help with costs of the suit, ahead of its expected commencement in May.
They claim that the pipeline will violate rights protected by the Ugandan Constitution, which gives every citizen the right to a clean and healthy environment…
Besides, they argue that the emissions released by oil carried by the pipeline will ‘materially’ contribute to global warming and fear the impact this will have on them and their livelihoods, as well as on the environment and the health of Ugandans...