Ugandan farmers filed a lawsuit in the United Kingdom’s High Court on Tuesday against the operators of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, launching a novel legal bid to halt the massive project before it begins operations.

The claim seeks to apply Ugandan constitutional, environmental, and climate laws directly to EACOP Ltd., the corporate entity managing the pipeline, which is incorporated in England and Wales.

The claimants argue that a successful ruling could enforce local legal protections from thousands of miles away and ultimately prevent the pipeline from ever becoming operational.

The legal battle focuses heavily on the environmental and human toll of the infrastructure. The 1,443-kilometer (897-mile) pipeline is designed to transport crude oil from fields in landlocked Uganda across neighboring Tanzania to a port on the Indian Ocean coast.

French energy giant TotalEnergies holds a majority stake in the project.

According to the claimants, the pipeline's construction and planned path present severe risks to both local communities and fragile ecosystems.

The lawsuit alleges that the project's massive land acquisition process will disrupt or displace more than 100,000 people.

Furthermore, environmental advocates and the farmers warn that the pipeline's physical route slices through critical freshwater systems and protected wildlife habitats, posing an imminent threat to regional biodiversity and water security.

By targeting the United Kingdom-registered company, the Ugandan farmers are utilizing a growing legal strategy that holds multinational corporations accountable in their home jurisdictions for overseas operations.

Construction on the controversial pipeline has faced years of fierce pushback from international climate activists, local communities, and human rights organizations, who argue the project locks East Africa into fossil fuel reliance while threatening vital natural resources.

EACOP Ltd. has not yet issued a formal response to the High Court filing.