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Over 100,000 people in Uganda and Tanzania have been hurt by human rights violations linked to Total’s TOTF.PA oil operations in Uganda, two French activist groups said in a report on Tuesday.

Friends of the Earth and a second group called Survie are seeking a court order requiring Total to disclose how it is addressing the adverse impact of its activities, citing an obligation to do so under French law.

Total rejected allegations that it had infringed on human rights in a statement, saying its project had been conceived with the aim of minimising the impact on residents in the area as much as possible.

It said no-one had had to leave their land without appropriate compensation, and that it was looking to introduce a system of interim payments after the coronavirus pandemic caused delays to the project.

The campaign groups, along with Ugandan activists, have alleged that Total intimidated and failed to properly compensate local landowners affected by work on its Tilenga project in Uganda, and said environmental safeguards were insufficient.

They added in their latest report that the situation was also disrupting access to education and healthcare in some cases.

One French court previously ruled it was not within its remit to judge the case. The activists appealed the decision, and another ruling is due next week.

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Guinea opposition candidate Cellou Dalein Diallo said on Monday that he had won the first round of the presidential election in the West African state, but his claim was quickly disputed by the electoral commission, paving the way for a stand-off.

“Despite the serious anomalies that marred the smooth running of the … election and in view of the results that came out of the ballot boxes, I am victorious in this election in the first round,” Diallo told journalists and cheering supporters.

He did not give any figures but said the tally was based on his party’s count, not an official tally being conducted by the national election commission, which has yet to publish results.

The electoral commission said Diallo’s claim carried no weight, however.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission is the only body authorized to give provisional results. It is neither for a political party nor for any individual to do so,” Mamadi 3 Kaba, a spokesman for the commission, told Reuters.

“We regret the attitude of Mr. Diallo and we say that this declaration is null and void,” he added.

Diallo is the main challenger to Guinea’s 82-year-old incumbent president, Alpha Conde, who is seeking a third mandate after a constitutional change in March which sparked deadly protests.

Diallo’s party deployed its own election observers to around 15 000 polling stations and said it would publish the results posted outside each one.

Following his announcement Diallo’s supporters swept into the streets in his strongholds, declaring their alleged victory:

Security Minister Damantang Albert Camara accused the party of publishing false results, and warned that it risked triggering violence.

“This strategy of forced, premature and unjustified celebration was carefully planned well before the election,” Camara said in a statement.

“There will never be any question of giving in to blackmail and violence.”

Rights groups say at least 50 people having been killed over the past year during demonstrations against the constitutional change that allowed Conde to seek at least six more years in power.

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