Police have arrested at least 47 students from various universities during an attempted protest against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project.

The students, drawn from Kyambogo University, Makerere University, and Kampala International University, were arrested en route to parliament and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) offices.

The protesters, who had assembled on Wampewo Avenue, were carrying placards and wearing t-shirts bearing messages demanding an immediate halt to the EACOP project.

According to Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire, the students were intercepted and surrounded before they could board into three taxis, which were supposed to take them to parliament and NEMA offices.

Owoyesigyire said the suspects have been charged with inciting violence and unlawful assembly and are currently being held at Jinja Road police station.

Despite their arrest, some of the students continued to chant slogans inside the police van, calling on the government and other stakeholders to cease their involvement in the controversial oil pipeline project.

The protesters argue that the EACOP venture poses significant risks to the environment and could lead to human rights violations in Uganda.

This incident follows the arrest of seven people, including a Belgian activist, last week outside the Chinese embassy. The group was delivering a petition urging the Chinese government to withdraw support for the China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC), one of the primary backers of the EACOP project.