Police arrest 30 youth over protests against EACOP at Chinese embassy
The group was marching toward the Chinese Embassy to deliver a petition seeking to stop the construction of EACOP.
Police in Kampala have apprehended 30 individuals for engaging in unlawful demonstrations against the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
The arrested include students and other community members.
Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire noted that the suspects, 21 males and nine females, are being held at Jinja Road Police Station.
The group was marching toward the Chinese embassy to deliver a petition seeking to stop the construction of EACOP.
The students began a peaceful demonstration at around 10:00 AM, marching toward the Chinese Embassy in Kololo. Some held banners, placards, and hard copies of the petition while chanting "Stop EACOP."
Bob Barigye, one of the student leaders, said they were going to the Embassy to meet the Ambassador on behalf of all Ugandans, especially the youth who are being affected by this project.
"We are peaceful people, and they should also respect us,” he said.
Yuda Kaye, a student from Makerere Business School (MUBS), said EACOP, once constructed, threatens the region's biodiversity as it passes through national parks.
He said that this greatly contributes to the mass extinction of the most endangered species like the great apes and puts their survival at risk.
"The oil pipeline would escalate carbon emissions and hence justifies an urgent need to protect the endangered species,” he said.
In their petition, the students, joined by other community members, urged the Chinese government to refrain from funding the EACOP construction, which they argue is dangerous to Uganda and the region.
“The construction of the 1,443 km heated pipeline from Hoima to Tanga, Tanzania, poses existential consequences to the region’s natural resources, including Lake Victoria, through which a third of it passes, as well as forests and rivers,” reads part of the June 26 petition.
Shortly after addressing reporters near the Embassy, the students began a peaceful march to the Embassy but were intercepted by police from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) just a few meters from the Embassy gate.
The CTD officers, backed up by their counterparts from the Field Force Unit (FFU), engaged the youths, and when the two sides failed to agree, violent scenes ensued.
The leaders, including Barigye and Kaye, were detained along with other protesters.
Owoyesigyire stated that the individuals were involved in an unlawful assembly, holding placards that read, "No To Oil."
“The suspects are currently detained at Jinja Road Police Station and face allegations of holding an unlawful assembly. Further details will be provided as soon as they are available,” he said.
He urged the public to remain calm and follow legal procedures for any form of protest or assembly.
The arrests follow a similar incident on May 29, when the same students marched to Parliament and petitioned the Speaker over the same issue.
