Construction Threatens 44 Protected Areas and Displaces Thousands, With 39% of Pipeline Already Cleared Despite Community Opposition

September 9, 2025 (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia / Kampala, Uganda) --- New maps and an analysis from Earth Insight reveal unprecedented environmental and social threats as construction accelerates on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), threatening critical biodiversity areas and displacing communities across Uganda and Tanzania. The findings have been released during the Africa Climate Summit taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as African leaders gather to address climate and environmental challenges facing the continent.

The new analysis uses satellite imagery to document construction advancements of the EACOP Project and its network of pipelines, illustrating the mounting threat to protected areas and communities despite years of strong opposition from civil society and affected populations. See downloadable maps illustrating these points here.

Key findings include:

• At least 39% of EACOP Pipeline and 22% of the Tilenga Feeder Pipeline have been cleared or constructed, despite claims of over 60% completion.
• The Tilenga Oil Project which would provide oil for EACOP poses an imminent risk to the Victoria Nile (Upper Nile), a vital ecological artery supporting freshwater biodiversity and water resources for communities, agriculture, and wildlife.
• The EACOP Project cuts through 44 Protected Areas and 7 Key Biodiversity Areas, threatening critical habitats, endangered species, and ecosystem services that support local communities.
• 38 kilometers of roads and nine well pads have been cleared or constructed inside Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda's oldest and largest national park, home to elephants, lions, hippos, and numerous endemic species.
• 41% of displaced households received low-productivity replacement land, with only 3% rating their new land as highly productive, according to research from the Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO).
• When operational, the EACOP Project will generate over 34 million tons of carbon emissions annually at peak production, undermining global climate commitments.

The EACOP Pipeline, stretching from Uganda's Lake Albert to Tanzania's port of Tanga, has faced years of delays and resistance since first proposed in 2016. Yet construction has accelerated dramatically over the past two years.

"The EACOP is not just displacing people from their land – it is displacing them from their dignity and future. Families who once lived off fertile soils and stable incomes are now left with barren plots, food insecurity, and deepening poverty," said Diana Nabiruma, Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO), a Ugandan civil society organization. "No amount of corporate greenwashing can hide the reality that this project is destroying lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems for generations to come. We call for the immediate termination of this devastating project before irreversible harm spreads further across East Africa."

Recent developments have intensified concerns about EACOP, with over 100 activists arrested for peaceful protests and ongoing reports of human rights violations, while 30 major insurers and 43 banks have now withdrawn support from the project due to environmental and social risks. In April 2025, insurance giant Chubb became the latest major insurer to reject coverage for EACOP, citing its updated conservation policy that restricts underwriting new oil and gas projects in globally recognized protected areas.

The findings come amid escalating industrial threats to Africa's most biodiverse regions. The Democratic Republic of Congo recently approved tenders for 55 oil blocks covering more than half the country, with blocks overlapping 8.3 million hectares of protected areas, 8.6 million hectares of Key Biodiversity Areas, and threatening an estimated 39 million people. Nearby in the Republic of Congo, two oil exploration blocks overlap more than half of Conkouati-Douli National Park's terrestrial area and nearly 90% of its wetlands, putting 7,000 local residents and endangered species including 900 Western Lowland Gorillas at risk.

"As African leaders gather at this Climate Summit, we are witnessing an unprecedented assault on our continent's most precious natural heritage,” said Harrison Nnoko, Executive President (CEO), Ajemalebu Self Help (AJESH) Cameroon. “From the East African Crude Oil Pipeline devastating Uganda's national parks to massive oil block expansions threatening the Democratic Republic of Congo's forests and the Republic of Congo's protected wetlands, extractive industries are systematically destroying the ecosystems that sustain our communities and our climate. We must immediately halt these destructive developments and choose a path that protects Africa’s environmental stewardship and our commitments to future generations.”

“The EACOP represents not only a grave threat to Africa’s protected areas and biodiversity – it is an assault on climate stability and our collective future,” said Florencia Librizzi, Program Director, Earth Insight. “At a time when the world should be investing in renewable energy and climate resilience, billions are being poured into a project that will displace thousands of families, jeopardize water security, and lock in decades of carbon pollution. Leaders gathering at this Africa Climate Summit have a historic choice before them: to stand with their people and the planet, or with short-sighted extractive projects that are sacrificing both.”

The report calls for immediate, transparent, and accountable action to halt EACOP's advance, respect the demands of affected communities, and redirect investment toward sustainable development alternatives that protect both people and nature.

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About Earth Insight

Earth Insight builds critical transparency tools and momentum for restricting fossil fuel, mining, and other industrial expansion threats to key ecosystems and Indigenous and local communities. Our research, communications, and engagement work is central to supporting policy interventions that key political and financial actors can make to protect critical ecosystems as a vital step towards addressing both the biodiversity and climate crises.