French court to rule on TotalEnergies’ east Africa projects

By SYLVIE CORBET
The Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — A Paris court is set to rule on a case pitting French and Ugandan environmentalist groups against oil giant TotalEnergies regarding a major oil field and pipeline projects in east Africa. In a 2019 lawsuit, six French and Ugandan activist groups, accused TotalEnergies of failing to prevent human rights violations and risks to the environment. The groups said the oil extraction and pipeline projects are completely or partially impacting the lands of approximately 118,000 people in Uganda and Tanzania. They have asked the court to order the company to comply with the law by implementing measures against “all the risks of serious harm” associated with the projects. TotalEnergies argued that its vigilance plan has been implemented effectively. The ruling is expected Tuesday