The European Union Parliament’s resolution urging Tanzania and Uganda to halt the construction of their projects for oil and gas in the East African region has been denounced by the Ugandan parliament.
The resolution, according to Uganda’s deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa, was based on deliberate misrepresentation of important facts regarding the protection of the environment and human rights.
According to him, it was the most egregious act of imperialism and neo-colonialism against the sovereignty of Tanzania and Uganda.
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop) project, which spans 1,443 km (896 miles) across Lake Albert in western Uganda towards the Tanzanian port of Tanga on the Indian Ocean, is currently being built by Tanzania and Uganda.
It will be the world’s longest heated oil pipeline when it is finished.
The resolution endorsed by the EU parliament on Thursday expressed concern about the Eacop project’s potential for social and environmental harm and violations of human rights.
The EU Parliament recommends its member nations not to support Uganda’s oil and gas projects financially or diplomatically.
Due to the project’s proximity to delicate ecosystems and protected regions, environmentalists have protested it.