Four civil society groups first filed a petition in 2020 demanding full legal scrutiny of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), citing its far-reaching human rights, environmental, and climate impacts.

The project is being jointly developed by TotalEnergies and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), along with the state-owned Uganda National Oil Company.

The 1,443-kilometre (900-mile) pipeline -- the world's longest heated pipeline -- will transport crude from oilfields being developed around Lake Albert in northwestern Uganda to a Tanzanian port on the Indian Ocean.

On Wednesday, the EACJ threw out the case on procedural grounds, ruling it was filed outside the 60-day limit, upholding a 2023 decision by a lower court.

"This court cannot exercise jurisdiction over a dispute, however manifest or gross violation is, if the matter is time-barred," the court said.

"We are disappointed," said Dale Onyango, one of the lawyers representing the civil society groups, saying the legal options are now "extremely limited".

"The case has not been heard, not on its merits. What has just been happening across the three to four years are preliminary issues... there is no substance," he told AFP.

The $10 billion oilfields and pipeline project -- over 60 percent complete -- has been hailed by supporters as an economic boon for Uganda and Tanzania, where many live in poverty, but is strongly opposed by environmentalists.

"This ruling is a blow for affected communities, but it doesn't make EACOP any less of a reckless gamble," lawyer Coleen Scott said.

Rights groups say more than 100,000 people have been affected by the project, many losing their land without adequate compensation and some pressured into signing agreements they did not fully understand.

"It has depressed us," said Yiga Cosmas, a 74-year-old Ugandan farmer, who lost just over two hectares of highly fertile land in central Uganda's Kyotera district.

He told AFP he refused to sign an agreement because it "undervalued" crops, saying the loss of more than 50 mango trees cost him almost $40,000 annually.

But TotalEnergies told AFP that "approximately 18,500 households," representing 99.2 percent of those affected, have signed compensation agreements, while 767 were relocated.

Only 42 landowners have refused to sign, TotalEnergies said.

"Seventeen involved disagreements over their valuation, 18 were subject to ownership conflicts," the company said, adding that seven remained unreachable.

Environmentalists warn the project is destroying vital ecosystems, with the Climate Accountability Institute calling it a "carbon bomb".

In 2023, a French court dismissed a similar case filed by activists against TotalEnergies on procedural grounds.

Activists had argued the project violated the 2017 "duty of vigilance" law, which requires companies to prevent serious harm to human rights, health, safety, and the environment.

mnk/rbu/gv

TotalEnergies

CNOOC