Some lawyers asked a big court to listen to a case about a pipeline again. The court is in East Africa. The pipeline will carry oil. The case was thrown out before, but lawyers think that was wrong.
The court met yesterday in Kigali, Rwanda. Four groups from East Africa want the court to change its mind. The first court said they waited too long to bring their case.
Five judges heard the case. Many people came to watch. Some work for the pipeline. Others live near where it will be built. Government lawyers came. The East African leader came too.
The lawyers said the first court made a mistake. It looked at proof when it wasn't supposed to. Dr. David Kabanda, one of the lawyers, explained this problem. He said the court broke its own rules.
The four groups say they filed papers at the right time. Justin Semuyaba, another lawyer, said the law lets people challenge bad actions within two months of finding out. They learned about the pipeline in October 2020 and filed in November 2020.
The lawyers were upset because the first court made them pay money. Joan Kembabazi said this stops normal people from asking for help. Dr. Rugemeleza Nshala added it takes bravery to fight this kind of case.
The head judge said they will tell everyone their decision later. If the groups win, the case goes back to the first court for a full hearing.
After the meeting, Dickens Kamugisha asked Uganda and Tanzania to care about the Earth. He said African countries should lead the way because climate change hurts them badly.
The groups first went to court on November 6, 2020. They want to stop the pipeline. The pipe would be 1,443 kilometers long. It would move oil from Uganda to a port in Tanzania.
The groups say the pipeline breaks many rules. These include human rights rules, African rules, climate change rules, and nature protection rules. They want the court to make sure the pipeline follows all these important rules.
The court met yesterday in Kigali, Rwanda. Four groups from East Africa want the court to change its mind. The first court said they waited too long to bring their case.
Five judges heard the case. Many people came to watch. Some work for the pipeline. Others live near where it will be built. Government lawyers came. The East African leader came too.
The lawyers said the first court made a mistake. It looked at proof when it wasn't supposed to. Dr. David Kabanda, one of the lawyers, explained this problem. He said the court broke its own rules.
The four groups say they filed papers at the right time. Justin Semuyaba, another lawyer, said the law lets people challenge bad actions within two months of finding out. They learned about the pipeline in October 2020 and filed in November 2020.
The lawyers were upset because the first court made them pay money. Joan Kembabazi said this stops normal people from asking for help. Dr. Rugemeleza Nshala added it takes bravery to fight this kind of case.
The head judge said they will tell everyone their decision later. If the groups win, the case goes back to the first court for a full hearing.
After the meeting, Dickens Kamugisha asked Uganda and Tanzania to care about the Earth. He said African countries should lead the way because climate change hurts them badly.
The groups first went to court on November 6, 2020. They want to stop the pipeline. The pipe would be 1,443 kilometers long. It would move oil from Uganda to a port in Tanzania.
The groups say the pipeline breaks many rules. These include human rights rules, African rules, climate change rules, and nature protection rules. They want the court to make sure the pipeline follows all these important rules.
