East African court dismisses controversial oil pipeline case in setback to communities

On Nov. 26, the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) dismissed an appeal filed by four African NGOs, marking the end of a landmark case against the construction of a contentious oil pipeline. The case against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), expected to become the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world, was first filed in 2020. “It was a very huge disappointment, especially as we ran to court and thought that at least we would find justice in the courts of law,” Balach Bakundane, an affected community representative for the Uganda-based EACOP Host Communities organization, told Mongabay by phone. The 1,443-kilometer (897-mile) EACOP runs from oil fields in Uganda to the Port of Tanga in Tanzania. The pipeline is being constructed by the French oil giant TotalEnergies an