TotalEnergies headquarters
TotalEnergies said Thursday that it had entrusted former Beninese Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou with a mission to evaluate the land acquisition program carried out as part of its controversial oil exploitation projects in Uganda and an oil pipeline in Tanzania.
The Tilenga oil drilling and EACOP (East African Crude Oil Pipeline) projects, led by the French hydrocarbon giant in collaboration in particular with the Ugandan and Tanzanian states, are the subject of strong criticism from environmental and environmental organizations. human rights.
Human Rights Watch denounced last July an environmental disaster and affirmed that the construction of the pipeline had deprived tens of thousands of people of their means of subsistence, due to the expropriation of their lands and insufficient compensation paid late.
TotalEnergies, which rejected these accusations, indicated that its CEO, Patrick Pouyanné, had entrusted Lionel Zinsou, founder of the consulting firm Managing Partner of SouthBridge, with the task of evaluating the way in which the acquisition program was carried out. of 6,400 hectares of land in Uganda and Tanzania, which is nearing completion, “as well as socio-economic development actions accompanying this program”.
The economist will have to submit his evaluation report by the end of April, specifies in a TotalEnergies press release, which undertakes to share the conclusions with its partners within the two projects.
(Written by Tangi Salaün, edited by Blandine Hénault)