"Update: Kingfisher Community Conditions Show Questionable Improvement Under TotalEnergies’s Watch as EACOP Project Driver", Just Finance, 27 November 2025

Despite public commitments by the EACOP consortium, [...] the project has barreled past the 65% completion mark while the Kingfisher community remains in distress—particularly among those whose livelihoods depend on fishing.

Testimonies collected over the last six months [...] allege ongoing abuses. These accounts broadly reflect the community’s view that there have been no meaningful improvements to their situation. [...].

[...] Interviewees describe an ongoing military presence that has effectively strangled their economic lifeline. Constant restrictions on access to traditional fishing grounds have left many unable to feed their families or earn enough income to meet basic needs [...].

[...] civil liberties also appear increasingly restricted, with testimonies describing overt pressure from the UPDF to limit freedom of assembly. [...].

[...] the company reported that no grievances had been recorded, standing in sharp contrast to ongoing accounts from community members alleging violations. This discrepancy, at a minimum, highlights a lack of trust in the accountability mechanisms [...].

[...] pattern of arbitrary arrests by the military of fishermen [...] continues within the project area [...].

Every community member JFI interviewed across the project area stated unequivocally that women and girls are not safe [...].

[...] reports from the community [...] indicate that the high risks identified in EACOP’s 2022 Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) Summary Report remain active concerns—and, in some cases, alleged continuing violations.

JFI reached out to Europe’s top 25 financial institutions with bond and share holdings in EACOP companies (TotalEnergies and CNOOC). Out of these 25 contacted 15 failed to respond, six either confirmed reception or provided a generic link to their ESG policy, two simply replied confirming their holdings. Intesa Sanpaolo disputed that investments in companies owning and operating EACOP constitutes exposure to EACOP.

[...]

Note: Requests for comment and additional due diligence information were made to the EACOP Consortium, but no reply was received within the timeframe specified by this briefing.