Uganda’s Environmental Activists Face Arrests as EACOP Project Advances

Uganda’s Week of Resistance: Arrests, Detentions, and the Rising Voice Against EACOP

Amjambo Africa

Across Kampala, environmental activists continue to step forward—despite the risks—to question Uganda’s new oil export route. The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) plans to transport oil nearly 1,443 km from Hoima to Tanga, and it faces growing resistance from youth and environmental groups.

Last week, police arrested more than ten youth activists from Students Against EACOP Uganda. They had gathered for a peaceful demonstration at a branch of Stanbic Bank, urging the bank to pull its financial support for the project. The protest ended in arrests and a wave of concern about the shrinking space for dissent.

The crackdown did not stop there. A court has remanded twelve activists to Luzira Maximum Security Prison, where they must remain until mid-August. These young people face charges following yet another protest at Stanbic Bank. Reports indicate that many of these activists have already spent significant time behind bars—some nearly three months—while waiting for bail hearings that have repeatedly been delayed.

These detentions are part of a broader pattern of repression. Despite international criticism and petitions—highlighting threats to the environment, water resources, and livelihoods—Uganda’s response has been forceful and unyielding. Activists are routinely arrested, charged with minor offenses, and kept in overcrowded conditions with limited access to legal aid.

As EACOP continues progressing, with financing secured from regional banks and construction more than halfway complete, the actions against protesters raise urgent questions. Can Uganda move forward with one of its largest infrastructure projects while suppressing voices calling attention to climate risk and social justice? These ongoing arrests cast a shadow over both environmental accountability and democratic freedoms.