Facing critics, Total to minimize oil work in Uganda park

KAMPALA, Uganda — The French oil company Total says it will limit its work to extract oil from a Ugandan national park to less than 1% of the protected area, seeking to assuage the concerns of activists who oppose the project. Total said it would support funding a 50% increase in the number of game rangers in Murchison Falls National Park, the largest protected area in Uganda. Last week 263 groups from 49 countries urged banks not to finance the pipeline’s construction as Total and its partner in Uganda, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, are nearing what is known as a final investment decision. Dickens Kamugisha, head of the Uganda-based Africa Institute for Energy Governance, told The Associated Press on Monday that Total’s offer to minimize activities in Murchison Falls National Park is simply not enough.