Uganda: Nine students arrested for protesting against Stanbic Bank

The students wanted to hand over a memorandum to Stanbic demanding that the bank withdraw financial support for EACOP immediately.

“The heavy-handed crackdown forms part of a larger trend of repression against anyone who speaks out against EACOP and is yet another sign of how this pipeline is being imposed on Ugandans through force, intimidation and silencing, while legitimate concerns over the project remain unanswered,” wrote the StopEACOP alliance, which also includes Rainforest Rescue, in a statement.

“These arrests are unlawful and yet another example of the Ugandan authorities using repression to stifle legitimate dissent. Peaceful protest is a constitutional right, yet time and again, those speaking out against EACOP face arbitrary detention and intimidation,” said Brighton Aryampa, a lawyer supporting the arrested students who has worked with Rainforest Rescue in a previous case.

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), currently under construction, is intended to transport crude oil over 1,443 kilometers from the city of Hoima in Uganda to the port of Tanga in Tanzania. Local communities and climate activists have been resisting the project since its inception.

According to Witness Radio, 24 activists have been arrested since the beginning of the year. Eleven people were detained on their way to the European Union representation on February 26. Later, four environmental activists were arrested when they tried to hand over a resolution in Parliament.

“We have the right to speak out against a project that threatens our futures, yet time and again, we are met with repression instead of dialogue. We demand the immediate release of all those arrested and an end to the ongoing suppression of nonviolent action,” said Alphonse Nkurukiza, a student activist with Students Against EACOP Uganda.

“Today’s arrests further confirm this reality – banks like Stanbic are not only bankrolling environmental devastation but are also complicit in suppressing those who dare to resist,” said #StopEACOP campaign coordinator Zaki Mamdoo.

Together with StopEACOP and the student activists, we demand the immediate release of the detainees and an end to the persecution of critics of the pipeline project.

#StopEACOP is a global campaign against the construction of the EACOP. Local groups, communities and African and international organizations have joined forces in the alliance. It is calling for a halt to the planned pipeline and the associated oil fields in Tilenga and Kingfisher. So far, 43 banks and 29 (re)insurers have already ruled out their support for EACOP.