The pipeline, which will provide income of $US4.7 billion for the US oil giant Exxon, has been criticised by human rights and environmental groups for damaging the interest of people along its entire length.

“Water supplies have been damaged, pygmies have lost hunting ground, farmers have lost crops and land, and an influx of immigrant workers has brought child prostitution and AIDS. It has also caused the inflation, doubling the price of basic foods and causing malnutrition among the poor,” the Guardian said.