Thirty arrested in oil protest near Chinese Embassy

Police on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, said they had arrested 30 individuals near the Chinese Embassy in Kololo, in Kampala district as they were demonstrating against oil exploration.

Luke Owoyesigyire the Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson said the 30 suspects had been detained at Jinja Road Police.

“On Wednesday, June 30, 2024, police at Jinja Road arrested 30 individuals near the Chinese Embassy in Kololo. Among those arrested, 9 are female and 21 are male. The individuals were involved in an unlawful assembly, holding placards that read ‘no to oil’” Owoyesigyire said.

He said the suspects are currently detained at Jinja Road Police Station and are facing allegations of holding an unlawful assembly. Further details will be provided as soon as they are available.

“We urge the public to remain calm and to follow legal procedures for any form of protest or assembly,” he added.

Several Chinese firms have been involved in oil exploration in Uganda. In April this year, China invited Uganda's energy minister Ruth Nankabirwa to Beijing to discuss the country's $5 billion crude oil after Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his support for the 1,445-km (898-mile) pipeline to Tanzania.

Called the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), it will run from the oilfields in Uganda and terminate at Tanga Port on the Tanzanian coast.