The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) has become one of the most controversial fossil fuel projects in the world, drawing widespread opposition from environmental groups, human rights defenders, and local communities in Uganda and Tanzania. This 1,443-kilometer pipeline, spearheaded by French oil giant TotalEnergies and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), is designed to transport crude oil from Uganda’s Lake Albert oil fields to the port of Tanga in Tanzania. The project will result in severe environmental destruction, displacement of communities, and human rights violations that have already accompanied its development.
The Devastating Impact of EACOP on Local Communities
EACOP is displacing thousands of people across Uganda and Tanzania. More than 100,000 individuals are affected, many of whom have lost access to their land and means of livelihood. Compensation has been inadequate and delayed, leaving families struggling to survive. Farmers who rely on their land for subsistence are being forced into poverty, while communities that depend on fishing fear irreversible damage to local water sources.
Environmental risks are equally alarming. The pipeline threatens critical ecosystems, including wetlands, forests, and national parks. If completed, it will run through biodiversity hotspots and increase the risk of oil spills, contaminating rivers and lakes that millions rely on for drinking water and agriculture. Climate activists also warn that EACOP will accelerate global warming, with the oil transported by the pipeline expected to generate more than 34 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
Resistance and Repression: The Struggle of Local Communities
Local resistance to EACOP has been met with harsh repression. Activists, journalists, and community leaders who speak out against the project face intimidation, arrests, and even imprisonment. Uganda, in particular, has seen a crackdown on dissent, with campaigners subjected to harassment by security forces and government authorities.
Despite these challenges, communities and grassroots organizations continue to fight back. Protests have been organized, petitions have been signed, and legal action has been taken against the project. Local and international groups have called on financial institutions and governments to withdraw support from EACOP, making it harder for TotalEnergies to secure funding and insurance.
How Insurance Companies Are Stalling EACOP
One of the most effective tactics against EACOP has been targeting the insurers that underwrite it. Without insurance, projects like EACOP struggle to proceed because investors, construction firms, and governments require financial protection against risks such as environmental damage, accidents, and legal liabilities.
A growing list of insurance companies has already ruled out support for EACOP due to the project’s environmental and human rights risks. Major insurers—including Allianz, Munich Re, Swiss Re, and Zurich—have publicly stated that they will not underwrite the pipeline. This withdrawal of coverage has slowed progress, increasing financial uncertainty for TotalEnergies and its partners.
AXA’s Role: The New Target for Boycott Bloody Insurance
Despite these victories, campaigners have recently uncovered that French insurance giant AXA continues to insure TotalEnergies, the fossil fuel company behind EACOP. While AXA has distanced itself from the pipeline itself, its support for TotalEnergies means it is indirectly enabling one of the most destructive fossil fuel projects in the world.
This revelation has led to the launch of Boycott Bloody Insurance, a campaign urging insurers to cut ties with the fossil fuel industry entirely. Insurers play a crucial role in sustaining the operations of polluting companies, and without their backing, fossil fuel expansion projects like EACOP would struggle to continue. By exposing AXA’s complicity and calling on the company to stop underwriting TotalEnergies, campaigners hope to deal another blow to the controversial pipeline and the wider fossil fuel industry.
A Call to Action: Ditch Fossil Fuel Insurance
The battle against EACOP is far from over, but the resistance is gaining momentum. As more insurers refuse to underwrite fossil fuel projects, it becomes increasingly difficult for companies like TotalEnergies to push forward with their destructive plans. AXA’s involvement in insuring TotalEnergies is a clear example of how insurers are still propping up the fossil fuel industry, even as they claim to support sustainability and climate action.
Boycott Bloody Insurance is calling on all insurance companies to stop insuring fossil fuel companies that devastate communities and the planet. The pressure is mounting, and insurers must choose: will they continue enabling climate destruction, or will they align with the growing movement for a just and sustainable future?
The answer should be clear. AXA and other insurers must act now and cut their ties with TotalEnergies and other fossil fuel giants. Only then can we ensure that projects like EACOP become relics of the past rather than threats to our future.