Bagungu people are an indigenous group living in the Buliisa District near Lake Albert in northwest Uganda. Since the creation of Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP), maintaining their pastoralist livelihood has become a challenge.
Author: Kevin Biglin
Maasai vs. Maasai Mara National Reserve
Maasai members had over two-thirds of their land taken away during British and Kenyan rule in 1961 to create the Maasai Mara National Reserve and were forced onto smaller pieces of land in Narok and Kajiado Districts. A 2004 petition for compensation and the reclaimed land was turned aside by the government, leading to protests and…
The Sengwer
The Sengwer are an indigenous hunter-gatherer community facing eviction from their home in the Embobut Forest in the Trans Nzoia district of Kenya. Despite an end to the project causing the evictions, justice has yet been seen by the Sengwer.
Northern Rangeland Trust in Laikipia
In order to make way for a new national park, the Samburu have been forcefully evicted from Laikipia. The Northern Rangeland Trust is a conservation NGO that started in Kenya in 2004. Despite claiming to be a community-based organization, its large influence over the region has harmed local peoples instead. Photo Credit: Jimmy Nelson
The Endorois
The African Commission ruled in 2010 that the eviction of the Endorois is a violation of their rights. Photo credit: Minority Rights Group
Archer’s Post and Dol Dol
Kenyan and British Army training in Samburu. Since the end of World War Two, the Kenyan government has allowed British Military training in the region.
Baka of Gabon vs. Conservation and Development
There are many indigenous hunter-gatherer-farmer people known as Baka living in Gabon today. They face challenges to their lifestyle due to government-sponsored development and conservation efforts, as well as marginalization from other peoples. Image Credit: Gulf News
Himba vs. Hydroelectric Dam Proposals in Kunene Region
The OvaHimba [Himba] have held onto their traditional pastoralist lifestyle to this day despite many droughts, wars, and land grab attempts. They face new challenges as the government seeks to build dams on the Kunene River. Photo Credit: Hans Hillewaert
Indigenous Land Rights Efforts in Namibia
Today, indigenous groups in Namibia struggle for recognition and formal collective land rights of their respective ancestral territories. They are facing government land reform efforts in the name of development and conservation. Photo credit: Maryknoll
Kel Tamasheq (Tuareg) vs. Mining in Niger
Kel Tamasheq find their nomadic pastoralist livelihoods increasingly under threat from a combination of uranium mining, government promotion of sedentarism and climate change. Photo Credit: NewIndianExpress