News and Insights from the Ground

Courts of Repression: A Dangerous Pattern in Uganda’s War on Activism

It started with a letter. On April 27, 2025, eleven young Ugandans walked into KCB Bank’s offices in Kampala with nothing more than a petition and a plea: stop financing EACOP—the East African...

A Pipeline of Death: The Heartbreaking Story of Agaaba Franco and the Injustice of EACOP

On the evening of May 11, 2025, tragedy struck quietly. Agaaba Franco, a young Ugandan working on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), was found lifeless in his bed. Just three days earlier...

“They Took the Land, But Left the Fear”: A Story from Buliisa

In the sweltering quiet of Uduk 1 village in Buliisa District, a man waits. His name is Muhemba Joseph (pictured below during a recent interview with one of our observers), and like many others across...

Legal Empowerment in Motion: The Plaintiffs Now Have Legal Representation

For years, they were ignored. Farmers saw their land taken without permission. Families were forced from their homes before compensation ever arrived. Children had to leave school. Entire communities...

Labor Exploitation: The Cost of the EACOP Pipeline

In the heart of Buliisa District, a troubling story is emerging from the ongoing East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project, where promises of opportunity have quickly turned into a tale of...

The Sky is Changing: Oil Extraction and Changing Seasons in Kikuube

In Kikuube, as in much of the Albertine region, the seasons no longer feel like seasons. What used to be predictable rains and cooling winds have given way to blistering heat and anxious waiting. The...

The Ground Shook in Hoima, and So Did the People

It began quietly. Then, the blasts came. In Kyakasato Village, nestled in Kigorobya County of Hoima District, life used to move with the rhythm of farming seasons, local gatherings, and the hum of...

“We Are the Ones Who Will Be Left Behind”: Voices from Kikuube Demand Climate Justice as Oil Expands

Under the scorching sun of Kikuube, children kicked up dust on the football field, laughing as they played. But this was more than just a game—it was an act of resistance. On February 5, 2025, a...

When the Earth Cries: A Story of Landslides and Corporate Neglect in Kikuube

It begins with rain. Not a downpour, not a storm—just ordinary Ugandan rain, falling softly at first on the villages of Kyakatemba and Kidoma in Kikuube District. But to the people who live there...