- Environmental and community groups across East Africa will hold a Global Day of Action on Monday, 20 November, calling on the Chinese government and key Chinese banks and insurers not to support the proposed East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) development.
- Solidarity actions will take place in South Africa, the United States, France and the UK.
- Petitions will be delivered, and peaceful protests will be held outside key corporate headquarters and government offices in each location (see below for details).
The groups, all members of the StopEACOP campaign, are increasing their focus on Chinese actors, including the state-owned China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation (SINOSURE), the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim), and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). This shift comes in response to reports that Chinese firms are considering stepping in to back EACOP after numerous other banks and insurers—mostly American and European—have committed not to do so, citing environmental and human rights concerns. The groups are urging China and Chinese firms not to be a “last resort” for a project with such a devastating social and environmental impact on Africa.
WHEN/WHERE:
*Note: Time and location details are for planning purposes only and not for publication*
Actions are planned for Monday 20 November in the following locations:
- Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – action begins at 10:00 am EAT (reach out for location details)
- Kampala, Uganda – action begins at 10:00 am EAT (reach out for location details)
- Kinshasa, DRC – action begins at 10:00 am WAT (reach out for location details)
- Tshwane, South Africa – a solidarity action will take place at 10:00 am SAST outside the Chinese embassy
- London, UK – a solidarity action will take place at 08:00 am GMT outside the SINOSURE offices
- Paris, France – a solidarity action will take place at 11:00 am CET outside the China Exim Bank & ICBC offices
A solidarity action is also planned in Washington, DC, USA at 2:00 pm EST on Friday 17 November outside the Chinese Embassy
WHY: The EACOP project threatens local communities, water resources, biodiversity and efforts to curb climate change while providing little benefit to the average Ugandan and Tanzanian. Chinese institutions should not enable this destructive project by providing insurance or financing. China should, instead, invest in renewable energy projects to support sustainable African development.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
