Communities Flay Total Energies Over Uganda Extractive Activities

More than five communities in the Buliisa District of Uganda, have cried out over the extractive activities carried out by TotalEnergies, which has led to ecological damage and loss of properties.

The affected communities are in Kasinyi, Kigoya, Kirama, Kiyere, Kigwera and other villages in the Buliisa District of Uganda.

In a hybrid press briefing organised by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), on Friday, in Lagos, the affected members of these communities are calling on TotalEnergies to fulfill their promise to them.

For instance, Barikenda Fred of Kirama Village, Kigwera Sub- County in Buliisa District said, “TotalEnergies agreed with me that they were going to construct a house elsewhere and resettle me in it so they can take over my land for their activities. Shortly after that, I was pressured to vacate the land but I objected to this because I have nowhere to go. TotalEnergies then fenced up my home and brought trucks which cleared all my garden and the areas surrounding my home and to date I have not yet been resettled”.

Also, Nyamagunge Beatrice of Kigoya Village, Buliisa District, while sharing her ordeal with the press, averred that,  “TotalEnergies first told us they wanted land measuring 30 (Thirty) meters wide for the pipeline and a buffer zone of 30 meters of both sides of it. However, when they demarcated, we found out that we were only Seven meters away from the demarcated area. We then complained to TotalEnergies but their response was that we are in the 200 (Two hundred) meter buffer zone and further, we shall not be compensated or resettled”.

Recall that the Make Big Polluters Pay (MBPP) Africa coalition organised a “People’s Tribunal for Justice and Reconciliation” in Buliisa District, Uganda on May 16, 2023.

The tribunal which was made up of twelve observers and five jury members heard from ten directly affected community members. Eminent jurors who interrogated the alleged victims and arrived at a verdict at the end of the tribunal are Nnimmo Bassey, director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) from Nigeria, Kwami Kpondzo, executive director of Center for Environmental Justice Togo, Aderonke Ige, associate director at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) as well as Kabonesa Sophia and Bamuturaki William, both representatives of affected communities.

Associate director at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Aderonke Ige, at the press briefing on Friday revealed that a mock tribunal was set up to put global spotlight on TotalEnergies for alleged intimidation, displacement, and various environmental and human rights abuses through the Tilenga Oil project and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) in Kasinyi, Kigoya, Kirama, Kiyere, Kigwera and other villages in the Buliisa District of Uganda.

Findings of the tribunal showed that affected persons are alleged to have for years sought justice within a multitude of avenues including filing cases in local courts of law, reporting to local authorities, filing complaints with the grievance handling groups established, etc to stop the alleged impunity of TotalEnergies, but all have been in vain.

“After hearing from the victims, the tribunal concluded that TotalEnergies has cases to answer for alleged human and environmental rights abuses and other abuses relating to oil exploration activities in Kasinyi and the other villages. The Tribunal also unanimously agrees that projects such as the Tilenga project have direct consequences such as ecological damage, land grabbing, corruption, corporate capture, and greenwashing,” Ige further explained

“The Tribunal however recommended that there is an urgent need by TotalEnergies to respect people’s dignity and rights especially those of local communities that have been allegedly affected by their activities and make immediate remedies for the avoidance of further actions, both collective and individual,” the associate director stated.

Chief executive officer of Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO), Dickens Kamugisha, added,

“The testimonies from the affected communities reflect growing impacts that the discovery of commercial oil reserves in Uganda have caused. The alleged cases of land grabs, illegal displacements and environmental degradation portend grave danger to local communities and their voices must be heard”.

“For the Make Big Polluters Pay Africa Coalition, the Peoples Tribunal for Justice and Reconciliation is our own way of amplifying the stifled voices of local communities impacted by extractive corporations in Uganda. But the tales from other countries are not different. From Nigeria’s heavily polluted Niger Delta to South Africa, Ghana and now Uganda the story is the same. Local people carry the burdens while the corporations plunder and make profit. In most cases, the government also looks away,” director of Programmes, CAPPA, Philip Jakpor added.