Over the past two decades, indigenous peoples of Africa have seen a sharp increase in violations of their human rights and intensified efforts to appropriate their land and water resources. This website documents historical and contemporary cases of human rights violations against indigenous peoples of Africa. Detailed case studies vary by country and type of conflict.
Subject to high levels of discrimination and persecution and low levels of political representation, pastoralists/herders, agro-pastoralists, and hunter-gatherers are losing their traditional territories and grazing lands to powerful interests. This includes:
- International conservation organizations
- Large-scale agribusiness
- Infrastructure projects
- Extractive industries
- Encroachment by farming communities (who as the majority population are favored by their governments)
- Refugee crises including indigenous peoples
These threats undermine and put at risk the ability of indigenous communities in Africa to maintain their land, livelihoods and cultures.
Information on current cases of rights violations are classified by country, ethnic group, and violation category. We will continue to add more cases as they arise and can be verified.
To send information on late-breaking news or additional cases, please contact us at indigenousafricaum@gmail.com.
Latest Cases Added
- Chad-Cameroon Oil Pipeline vs. Bakola/Bagyeli
The large extraction project poses negative social, environmental, and health impacts on indigenous peoples in Cameroon. - Kilosa and Mvomero
Farmers encroaching on pastoralist village land has led to violent conflict in Kilosa and Mvomero districts. - Bellah in Mali
Bellah people are a marginalized group within the Kel Tamasheq society. Descent-based slavery has kept Bellah people within a caste system. - Mbororo vs. Civil Strife
An ongoing civil war between Anglophone Cameroonians and the Francophone government has led to increasing ethnic tensions and strife that has consequently contributed to the displacement and loss of livelihood of pastoralist Mbororo. - Mau Forest Evictions of Maasai
The Mau Forest complex – which spans four Kenyan districts including Kericho, Nakuru, Bomet, and Narok – is rapidly declining due to human deforestation. - Maragoli vs. Agribusiness and the Republic of Uganda
Pushing Back Against Human Rights Violations By the Republic of Uganda, Police, and Multinational Agribusiness Corporations - African Parks Foundation vs. Indigenous Peoples
Evictions of Mursi and other indigenous peoples in Omo and Nechisar National Parks, Ethiopia. Photo Credit: Anne Steinbach Clemens Sehi - Maasai against Kedong Ranch Ltd. in Kenya
The land dispute between Maasai and Kedong Ranch Ltd has exposed communities and activists to ongoing harassment, intimidation, and threats.