Twenty-six Ugandans have sued French oil giant TotalEnergies in Paris for reparations over alleged human rights violations at its massive megaprojects in the country.
The energy company is accused of of failing to protect people and the environment from its Tilenga oil development and the $3.5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
Joined by five Ugandan and French aid groups, people from the affected communities say the energy firm caused "serious harm", especially to their rights to land and food.
"What we're asking of the tribunal is to recognise Total's civil responsibility and sentence the company to compensate the people affected by violations," Friends of the Earth France spokeswoman Juliette Renaud said on Tuesday.
Protected reserves
The Tilenga project involves exploration of 419 oil wells, one-third of them in Uganda's largest national park Murchison Falls.
EACOP is a 1,500 kilometre (930 mile) pipeline that would deliver crude oil to the Tanzanian coast through several protected nature reserves.
The lawsuit makes use of a 2017 French "duty of vigilance" law requiring large companies to identify risks in their global operations and supply chains, and detail strategies to prevent them.
"TotalEnergies considers that its vigilance plan is implemented effectively and has ensured that its subsidiaries in Uganda and Tanzania have applied the appropriate action plans so as to respect the rights of local communities and biodiversity," the company said in an emailed comment.
Protests
Friends of the Earth and four Ugandan associations failed in a 2019 bid before a French court to force TotalEnergies to halt Tilenga and EACOP projects.
Climate change campaigners on Tuesday targeted the UK headquarters of oil giant TotalEnergies with paint over the contentious oil pipeline in Uganda.
Supporters of the Just Stop Oil activist organisation sprayed black paint in the lobby of the company's headquarters in London's Canary Wharf district, while others daubed orange paint outside, the protest group said.
Dozens of students from a pressure group opposed to the building of EACOP also massed outside the building during the stunt to show support, it added.
