Ugandan farmers launched a case in the United Kingdom's High Court on Tuesday against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, seeking to apply Ugandan constitutional, environmental and climate law to EACOP Ltd, the project's UK-registered company.
The claim, filed before the pipeline begins operations, asks the court to enforce Uganda's legal protections against a company incorporated in England and Wales.
The lawsuit targets EACOP, a 1,443-km (897-mile) pipeline that would transport crude from Uganda's oilfields to Tanzania's coast. The project is majority-owned by French energy company TotalEnergies EURONEXT:TTE.
The claimants say a successful ruling could ultimately prevent the pipeline from becoming operational. They also say the project would affect more than 100,000 people through land acquisition and cross critical freshwater systems and protected habitats.