Nine face inciting violence charges for protesting construction of oil pipeline
A group of university students were blocked and some arrested, as they marched to EU offices in Kampala to deliver a petition in support of the EU Parliament resolution to halt the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project on October 4, 2022. PHOTO/ ABUBAKER Lubowa
What you need to know:
- Police said four of the nine suspects are university students while the rest were allegedly hired to take part in the protest
The nine people who were arrested during a demonstration by university students in support of the European Union (EU) parliament resolution calling for the delay of the development of the East African crude oil Pipeline (EACOP) will be charged with inciting violence, police have said.
Armed with placards inscribed on “STOP EACOP” protest messages, the students on Tuesday stormed the EU offices in Kampala with a petition to EU envoy in Uganda but they were intercepted by police near the gate.
Kampala Metropolitan spokesperson, Mr Patrick Onyango said four of the nine suspects are students from Kyambogo University while the rest were allegedly hired to take part in what he called an illegal protest.
“A group of youths who are in support of the recent EU resolution on the construction of the oil pipeline to Tanzania staged an illegal demonstration near EU offices in Kampala. The protestors did not seek police clearance. We arrested nine suspects of which only four are students and the other five were hired to come and demonstrate,”Mr Onyango said.
According to him the demonstrators will be charged with inciting violence.
“We are charging them with inciting violence and their file is currently being processed. They have recorded statements,” Mr Onyango told this publication on Tuesday.
Their arrest comes just a week after a group of students under their umbrella body, Uganda National Students Association (UNSA) guarded by police, marched around Kampala streets protesting the September 16 EU.
