East african court rejects challenge to world’s longest heated oil pipeline, leaving communities without legal recourse

The East African Court of Justice has dealt a crushing blow to environmental advocates and local communities by dismissing a landmark legal challenge against the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). The November 26 ruling marks the end of a four-year legal battle that began in 2020, when four African NGOs filed suit to halt construction of what will become the world’s longest heated crude oil pipeline.

The massive 1,443-kilometer pipeline stretches from Uganda’s oil fields to Tanzania’s Port of Tanga, cutting through more than 40 protected areas and threatening two of Africa’s most vital freshwater sources—Lake Albert and Lake Victoria. French oil giant TotalEnergies is leading the project alongside state-owned companies from China, Uganda, and Tanzania. Environmental experts estimate the pipeline will generate approximately 34 million tons of CO₂ annually, exceeding the combined yearly emissions of both Uganda and Tanzania.

“It was a very huge disappointment, especially as we ran to court and thought that at least we would find justice in the courts of law,” said Balach Bakundane, representing Uganda’s EACOP Host Communities organization. The NGOs argued that construction began without proper environmental assessments or meaningful community consultation, violating both local rights and ecological protections.

The court’s dismissal on technical grounds—ruling that the NGOs hadn’t properly filed their case—leaves affected communities with few remaining legal options to challenge a project that could fundamentally alter East Africa’s environmental landscape for generations to come.