global Protests Target Chinese Banks and Insurers

Environmental and community groups worldwide staged protests on November 20th, vehemently calling upon Chinese banks and insurers to sever all financial ties to the contentious East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). Demonstrations unfolded at corporate offices and embassies across Africa, Europe, and North America, specifically focusing on major Chinese financial institutions likely to back the pipeline. Protestors presented petitions signed by thousands of directly impacted citizens opposing EACOP due to its detrimental climate, environmental, and human rights violations.

In a chilling display of suppression, seven protestors in Kampala, Uganda, were unjustly arrested during the peaceful demonstration. This incident underscores the project's long and disturbing history of violent arrests and human rights violations. Activists worldwide unequivocally urge China to reconsider its involvement in EACOP, a project that threatens to inflict irreparable harm on communities in Uganda and Tanzania.

It is disturbing that the government of Uganda would be threatened by activists who merely seek an open dialogue with the Chinese government to prevail upon its institutions to invest in renewable energy. We demand the immediate release of the arrested activists and call upon China to recognize the EACOP project as a threat to its global standing and a violation of the fundamental rights of affected communities.

The perception that China is keen to support EACOP poses a significant reputational risk to its financial institutions. The ongoing human rights abuses associated with the project, coupled with the growing global consensus against fossil fuel expansion, should compel Chinese institutions to distance themselves from EACOP immediately.

Click here to access the press release.