Many environmentalists have condemned the Construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), stating that it will endanger the environment and worsen climate change whilst violating human rights.
Last week, the EU Parliament voted against the construction of the pipeline noting that it will negatively impact the environment in Uganda and Tanzania and will have thousands displaced without compensation hence violating their rights.
The EU Parliament instructed member countries against extending financial and diplomatic support for the EACOP's construction.
Explaining why the EU Parliament is trying to sabotage the 14 trillion shillings pipeline project yet it will be built in East Africa, Wanda Watsomu, an economist, said the extraction of fossil fuels undermines the world's transition to green energy.
"Unfortunately, we live in a global village and some of the EU's concerns deal with security and geopolitics. Europe has suffered adversely after relying on Russia for gas and fuel. It has become a painful process for them to untie themselves from Russia because it has posed both security and economic threats," he said.
Because Uganda's oil extraction has come at a later time than that of its counterparts with the same resource arguably, due to the expensive costs of extraction and transportation, it has also come at a time when there is severe inflation and high demand for oil.
Wanda said it has also come at a time when the world is trying to shift from fossil fuels to alternative energies making it face more opposition.
"The EU now is trying to warn Total off the project because it's a 62 percent owner and majority shareholder. If the council makes the decision, it will be difficult for the pipeline to go ahead," Wanda posited.
He mentioned that since Total is a central geopolitical player in France and Europe, France is trying to create relations with other countries, especially in the great lakes region hence embarking on the oil pipeline project.
To him, this decision was made by the French government as a way of managing the threats posed by China and Russia and to have its roots in other African countries.
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