Urging Chinese financial institutions to not finance EACOP.
Atuheire Brian is a youth activist and environmental justice advocate. He co-founded the African Initiative on Food Security and Environment-Uganda in 2016 to defend marginalized communities against the adverse impacts of large-scale oil and gas developments.
My name is Atuheire Brian and [I am] the co-founder and Executive Director of the African Initiative on Food Security and Environment-Uganda (AIFE-Uganda) founded in 2016. AIFE-Uganda is a youth-led, community-centered organization working primarily in the Albertine Rift region and other biodiversity hotspots across Uganda. We defend grassroots communities, farmers, fisherfolks, Indigenous groups like the Batwa, and rural youth against the adverse impacts of large-scale oil and gas developments. We focus on documenting human rights violations, advocating for genuine Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), fair compensation, and sustainable livelihoods. We also promote biodiversity conservation and push for alternatives to destructive extractive projects.
Speaking at a community mobilization.
A significant part of our work involves the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and associated upstream projects. We highlight how the pipeline threatens critical ecosystems, including Uganda’s national parks, the Victoria Nile, and water sources that millions depend on. It risks displacing thousands of households, disrupting agricultural lands ,and contributing massively to carbon emissions. Through press statements, community dialogues, alliances with other defenders, and international advocacy, we amplify local voices that are often marginalized. We have called out financial institutions considering funding EACOP and supported campaigns like [the] #StopEACOP Save Bugoma Campaign.
Beyond opposition, we emphasize positive solutions: supporting community-based conservation, agroecology, Indigenous knowledge systems, and climate resilience. We defend environmental human rights defenders who face arrests, intimidation, surveillance, and threats for speaking out.
As someone who has mobilized youth and engaged in policy advocacy, I see our role as bridging grassroots realities with national and global conversations on justice. Uganda’s rich biodiversity and youthful population are assets, but only if development respects rights and ecological limits. My work is driven by the conviction that true progress cannot come at the expense of the environment or the most vulnerable.
My journey into environmental justice began with a profound connection to nature and people, rooted in my upbringing and studies. Growing up in Kanungu District in southwestern Uganda, I was surrounded by lush forests, wildlife, and traditional farming practices. This instilled in me a deep respect for the land. At Makerere University, pursuing ethnobotany exposed me to how Indigenous communities have sustainably managed resources for generations using traditional knowledge of plants for medicine, food, and rituals.
A pivotal inspiration came from my engagement with the Batwa Indigenous people, often called “conservation refugees.” These forest-dwelling communities were displaced from their ancestral lands in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to create protected areas for mountain gorillas and tourism. While conservation is important, the Batwa received little meaningful support, losing their cultural heritage, livelihoods, and access to resources they had stewarded for centuries. Witnessing their struggles like poverty, discrimination, and inadequate resettlement showed me how even well-intentioned conservation can perpetuate injustice when it ignores local voices.
Building solidarity with community organizers.
This experience was deepened by seeing parallels with oil and gas expansion in the Albertine Rift. Communities faced land grabs, inadequate consultation, pollution risks, and livelihood losses without fair benefits. One individual who embodied the spirit of resistance was through observing elders and local leaders who quietly but firmly defended their land despite risks.
Broader influences include global movements and Ugandan defenders who faced repression yet persisted. Learning about how powerful corporations and state interests often prioritize profits over people crystallized my resolve.
I realized environmental justice is not just about protecting trees or animals, it is about human dignity, cultural survival, food security, and intergenerational equity. Inspired by these realities, I Co-founded AIFE-Uganda to shift from passive observation to active solidarity. We document cases, build capacity in communities, and advocate for policies that center people and the planet. This fight chose me as much as I chose it; it stems from a moral duty to ensure that development in Uganda does not repeat historical patterns of exclusion and ecological destruction.
A defining turning point came during the intensification of oil exploration and the announcement of projects like Tilenga, Kingfisher, and especially the EACOP. Witnessing the rapid push for fossil fuel development in one of Africa’s most biodiverse regions was eye-opening. Reports of community displacements, rushed land acquisitions, insufficient compensation, and threats to water bodies like Lake Albert and the Nile watershed highlighted the scale of potential harm. The moment that truly solidified my path was seeing the human cost: peaceful protesters, students, and fellow defenders being arrested or harassed for raising legitimate concerns. The Final Investment Decision for these projects, despite widespread opposition, showed how powerful interests could override public interest. This was not an abstract policy; it affected real families losing farmland, fishers losing access to waters, and future generations inheriting climate risks and a degraded environment.
This period coincided with my growing involvement in youth mobilization and conservation advocacy. I had already been engaging with issues like road projects threatening gorilla habitats in Bwindi. But the oil rush made it clear that isolated efforts were insufficient. It led directly to co-founding AIFE-Uganda as a platform for organized, evidence-based resistance and support. The lasting impact is a deepened commitment to documentation, alliance-building, and resilience. I understood that silence or complicity enables harm, while collective action can shift narratives and pressure decision-makers.
Addressing communities.
This turning point transformed my career from academic interest and general conservation to frontline environmental human rights defense. It reinforced the importance of ethnobotanical knowledge in advocacy using traditional wisdom alongside modern tools to argue for sustainable paths. Today, every challenge reminds me of that moment: the urgency to act, the power of community voices, and the need for systemic change. It continues to fuel AIFE-Uganda’s work in legal empowerment, public awareness, and solidarity with other defenders across Africa and the world.
Environmental and human rights defense in Uganda is indeed demanding. It involves operating in a context of repression, resource constraints, personal risks, and the slow pace of change against well-funded projects. Yet, I remain deeply motivated by several forces. First and foremost are the communities themselves. The resilience of farmers in Hoima or Buliisa who continue cultivating despite uncertainty, fishers protecting their lakes, and Batwa youth reclaiming dignity inspires me daily. Seeing ordinary people stand up, share testimonies, and demand justice reminds me why [this work] matters. Small wins [like] a bank withdrawing from EACOP financing, a released defender, or a community gaining better negotiation skills recharge my energy.
Organizing a peaceful protest.
I am also driven by the youth of Uganda. As a young leader myself, I see enormous potential in mobilizing the next generation. Their passion for climate action and rights gives hope that change is possible. The belief in ecological limits and human rights underpins my motivation: development must be sustainable and just, or it fails everyone. Indigenous knowledge systems, which I studied, offer proven models for harmony with nature that modern extractivism often ignores. Solidarity from allies—local, regional, and international—matters greatly. Knowing we are part of a larger movement against harmful fossil fuel expansion sustains me. Faith, family, and personal grounding in farming and nature also help me recharge. Ultimately, I am motivated by intergenerational justice. I want my children and future Ugandans to inherit a livable planet with protected biodiversity, clean water, and respected rights. Quitting is not an option when the stakes are this high. The work is hard, but the alternative, a degraded environment and silenced voices, is unacceptable. This conviction, rooted in love for Uganda’s people and nature, keeps me going.
Joining the Grassroots Justice Network was a natural and strategic step for AIFE-Uganda. We were motivated by the Network’s reputation as a powerful platform connecting frontline justice defenders across the globe who use legal empowerment to tackle environmental and social injustices. In Uganda’s context, where environmental defenders often face significant challenges, the opportunity to connect with peers facing parallel struggles from carbon projects to extractive industries was compelling. We believe collective learning and solidarity can amplify our impact far beyond what we can achieve alone.
As a fellow in this year’s Grassroots Justice Network Academy, I am particularly excited about the structured leadership program. We hope to gain practical skills in legal empowerment strategies, community paralegal approaches, safety and protection mechanisms for defenders, and tools for strategic advocacy. My participation in the Carbon Justice Course has already begun reshaping how we will engage with emerging climate finance mechanisms, helping us better protect communities from potential greenwashing while advocating for genuine justice. Overall, we seek stronger alliances, access to toolkits and resources, opportunities for cross-border collaboration, and enhanced capacity to document cases and influence policy. Ultimately, we aim to bring these learnings home to strengthen community resistance and build more resilient movements in Uganda and, if possible, the East African Region.
Since joining, I have actively participated as a fellow in the Grassroots Justice Network Academy that began this year. This has included engaging in webinars focused on legal empowerment, which are deepening my understanding of the “know law, use law, shape law” framework. I have also completed sessions in the Carbon Justice Course, designed specifically for grassroots advocates dealing with carbon projects and markets.
What stood out most was the practical, community-centered approach. The Carbon Justice Course challenged assumptions about carbon markets as automatic solutions and provided concrete tools for communities to negotiate better terms, demand transparency, and prevent rights violations. Hearing experiences from defenders in different continents revealed common patterns of corporate tactics and successful resistance strategies. The legal empowerment webinars highlighted effective paralegal models and case documentation techniques that are directly adaptable to oil-affected areas in Uganda.
These experiences are already strengthening AIFE-Uganda’s work. We are better equipped to support communities facing both fossil fuel and potential carbon projects, improve our rapid response to defender harassment, and design more impactful advocacy. The peer learning and mentorship elements of the Academy foster ongoing connections that will sustain our efforts long after the program. I am confident these insights will enhance our documentation, training of community members, and ability to influence national conversations on just transitions.
AIFE-Uganda brings frontline experience from one of Africa’s most active oil frontiers, combined with specialized ethnobotanical expertise and strong youth leadership. We have hands-on experience in community mobilization against EACOP and related projects, rapid response to arrests of defenders, and advocacy that links biodiversity conservation with human rights. We also emphasize Indigenous knowledge systems as vital tools for climate resilience and justice. I look forward to sharing practical lessons from Uganda while learning from the rich diversity of experiences across the Network.
Environmental justice is not a luxury but a fundamental requirement for dignified life and a livable planet. Let us continue building powerful, connected movements that put communities at the center until rights are respected and our shared home is protected. Together, we are stronger.