By Davis Buyondo
Masaka
Different Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) that are monitoring the environmental conservation and community livelihoods in the ongoing East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project, and the project affected people (paps) in Kyotera, Rakai, Lwengo, and Sembabule districts have decried the persistent acts of intimidation.
The CSO actors said they are being tormented by security agencies including police and some district officials for allegedly sabotaging the project activities while the paps are coerced for reporting concerns arising from the project to the media.
This was revealed at the launch of a Policy Briefing Booklet by the Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO) at Maria Flo hotel in Masaka.
The briefing booklet titled ‘Black Gold or Poverty Trap?-High Risks and Low Prospects for Uganda is oil sector’ is aimed at sensitising the public and further guide the parliament of Uganda on certain considerations as far as the pipeline project is concerned.
According to Diana Nabiruma, the Senior Communications Officer- AFIEGO, not only civil society actors, paps and community members in the greater Masaka region have complained about intimidation but also those in Bunyoro sub-region.
She explained that it takes different forms including direct and indirect threats, breaking into Non-Governmental Organisation offices, and blocking their bank accounts to stop them from speaking up about the EACOP issues.
“The communities and CSOs have told us that when they have grievances the people who work for these companies intimidate them. Still, security personnel have reportedly visited different paps who refused to sign assessment forms and others who tend to raise their voices over different human rights concerns,” she recounted.
Nabiruma added that sticky issues including intimidation of paps and CSOs from speaking about rights abuses may have compelled some international banks (Barclays and Credit Suisse) to reportedly pull out of the EACOP project financing.
She explained that banks that usually want to protect their image and retain their clients do not always wish to support projects that are associated with human rights abuses.
“When a bank hears that you are going to take its money for a project for which you have intimidated people to sign for compensation which is not enough, for which you have intimidated NGOs/CSOs not to speak up to protect the environment and people then they get jittery,” she noted.
As a result, the social and environmental challenges will arise because people and CSOs have been intimidated and did not speak out.
Yisito Kayinga Muddu, the Network Coordinator for Community Transformation Foundation Network (COTFONE), is also a victim of intimidation by different security operatives and the community liaison officers employed by Total.
He said that that the intimidation concerns have often come out in various joint engagements with Total –Uganda, Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU), and the stakeholders.
“We have always shared our plight with them and told them that intimidations will not only affect the paps and CSOs but also the entire project. We know more coercion is to happen but we will not give up on fighting for people’s rights,” he said.
According to Muddu, there are also grave concerns about the project community liaison officers who usually attend community meetings and create fear among the paps.
He added that communities are intimidated when they speak out against low or unfair assessments for their property that is being compulsorily acquired.
“The EACOP-affected communities have also reported being forced to sign compensation assessment forms that they don’t agree with because of intimidation by security agencies alongside land acquisition consultants,” Kayinga Muddu Yisito,
He appealed to the Uganda Human Rights Commission to investigate the human rights abuses in the EACOP project and report to parliament for intervention. He says that the delayed compensation and intimidation may spark conflict
Robert Birimuye, a pap in Nabigasa sub-county whose sand quarry in the pipeline route was not considered for compensation said that he was intimidated for complaining.
Birimuye, also the representative of the paps in Kyotera district, added that people including Vincent Kibandi, the Nabigasa LCIII chairperson, Jeff Ntasibwe, a Criminal Intelligence officer, attached to Kyotera police station, and other officials from New Plan ltd, have on many occasions intimidated him and threatened to arrest him if he does not stay his interests in the sand quarry.
However, last month, district leaders, NewPlan officials, and other stakeholders held a meeting at Luseese trading centre (Nabigasa) to resolve different concerns. In the meeting, Kibandi and Ntasibwe and New Plan officials denied the accusations.
They said that they approached some paps to caution them against interfering with the project activities since they had signed agreement forms.
Policy Briefing Booklet
Nabiruma said that the policy booklet will further guide parliament to make the best decisions that protect human rights, Uganda’s economy, and environment. She added that it will also help parliament which is still assessing a USD130m (approximately Ugx474,182,150,000) loan request for the EACOP project.
Through the booklet, she noted, CSOs hope the parliament’s National Economy and Budget committees will understand the risks posed by the oil sector to agriculture, tourism, fisheries, social cohesion, community health among others.
“The CSOs call upon the MPs to use their oversight powers and the citizens to demand that the proposed oil developments through the EACOP, Tilenga, Kingfisher, and others be stayed until when until there is assurance that the climate change disasters and risks posed by the projects will be avoided or adequately mitigated,” she noted.
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