Around 100 activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) and Totalement Down obstructed access to Marsh Insurance Company’s Herman Debroux Avenue office in the Brussels municipality of Auderghem on Thursday morning.
Protestors are demanding the firm’s withdrawal from the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project. Police are present.
The yet-to-be-built EACOP will connect Lake Albert in Uganda to the Indian Ocean’s Tanga Port in Tanzania. The pipeline is set to transport oil.
With backing from TotalEnergies, the EACOP is slated to be the world’s longest pipeline. It will span 1,443km and cost $4bn.
However, the project has its critics. Activists worldwide blame it for bringing climate, social and environmental issues to East Africa. "This pipeline, with its potential for an oil spill, would spell disaster for the region’s climate, environment and ecosystems," claimed XR in a statement.
XR and Totalement Down’s blockade is part of a wider global boycott. This #StopEACOP campaign has already led to 24 banks and 28 insurance companies abandoning the project.
