November 2023 Archives
A Fight for Land in the Shadow of a Ugandan Mountain
Burned homes and captured livestock mark a decadeslong feud over land on the outskirts of a renowned forest. Can a partnership bring peace?
Themes: Conservation, Parks, NGOs, Human rights, Poverty, Livlihoods
KWEEN, UGANDA — One morning in May, Sangura Masai was washing his face at home in Kokwotorokwo, a village on the outskirts of a vast national park in eastern Uganda, when his two teenage sons rushed toward him in fear. His sons told him they had heard voices shouting “toka hapa,” Swahili for “leave here.” Rangers from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, a government agency that manages and protects wildlife in and outside protected areas, had arrived.
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Nov 20, 2023
Kenya's Ogiek people being evicted for carbon credits - lawyers
Hundreds of members of the Ogiek community are being evicted from the Mau Forest, say their representatives.
Themes: Conservation, Livlihoods, Indigenous people, Human rights, Poverty, Parks
Kenya's government is illegally evicting hunter-gatherers from their ancestral lands to profit from carbon offsetting schemes, human rights lawyers say.
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Nov 10, 2023
‘We are living in absolute fear’: call to stop Indigenous evictions in Rift Valley
Human rights groups demand Kenyan government halt forced evictions of Ogiek community from Mau forest
Themes: Poverty, Indigenous people, Livlihoods, Human rights
“We are calling for an immediate cessation of ongoing demolitions and the evictions,” said Cyrus Maweu, deputy director of Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).
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Nov 09, 2023
Kenyan government must end illegal evictions of Ogiek in Mau Forest
Minority Rights Group (MRG) vehemently condemns the Government of Kenya’s renewed eviction campaign against the indigenous Ogiek community of Mau Forest Complex in Kenya.
Themes: Conservation, Indigenous people, Livlihoods, Poverty
On 2 November 2023, rangers of the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) started forcefully evicting Ogiek from their ancestral lands by violently destroying and burning Ogiek homes and schools in Sasimwani, Narok County. The campaign, which is ongoing, has left over 700* Ogiek community members homeless with nowhere to go. The damage done to Ogiek homes, property and belongings by the KFS and KWS rangers are worth an estimated 50 million KES.
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Nov 09, 2023
For 1st time, Indonesia government recognizes ancestral forests in Aceh.
But only some.
Themes: Indigenous people, Poverty, Human rights
The Indonesian government has recognized 22,549 hectares (55,700 acres) of ancestral forests in Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra — the first time for the region. In total, Indigenous communities in Aceh seek recognition of 144,497 hectares (357,060 acres) of customary forests, and thus activists are calling for the government to recognize the rest of the forests. The communities welcome the recognition, saying it will give them legal protection to manage their forests in a sustainable manner.
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Nov 09, 2023
Partial Victory for the Maasai of Loliondo in the High Court.
The Tanzanian Government Responds with the Most Destructive Contempt of Court
Themes: Conservation, FPIC, Hunting, Indigenous people, Livlihoods, NGOs, Parks, Pastoralists, Poverty, Tourism
The ruling - Miscellaneous Civil Cause No. 21 of 2022 - The government’s malicious interpretation of the ruling - Grazing and violence after the High Court ruling - At last sued for contempt of court! - Odero harassed about citizenship at ACPHR session - Continued pressure for German-funded crime legitimization - The Germans MUST be sued for their relentless facilitation of violent dispossession - We also have the cases in the East African Court of Justice - Brief Loliondo hunting block background - Briefly about the 2022 threats leading up to the brutal and illegal demarcation - Briefly about the brutal and illegal demarcation of an illegal "game reserve" -
NCA, - bye bye Manongi, and the government again denies well-documented adulterated salt, UNESCO again - Apologies and reflexions on very long and horribly delayed blog posts
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Nov 04, 2023
