Karayu traditionally live in the Fantalle district but many were evicted in 2006 for the creation of the Awash National Park and development projects such as the Metahara Sugar Factory and Upper Awash Agro-industry Enterprise. Karayu are also forbidden access to their only water source, the Awash River. Photo Credit: Flickr
Category: Agribusiness
According to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, “dispossession of land and natural resources is a major human rights problem for indigenous peoples. They have in so many cases been pushed out of their traditional areas to give way for the economic interests of other more dominant groups and to large scale development initiatives that tend to destroy their lives and cultures rather than improve their situation….[including] widespread expansion of areas under crop production. They have all resulted in loss of access to fundamental natural resources that are critical for the survival of both pastoral and hunter-gatherer communities such as grazing areas, permanent water sources and forest products.”
Investors Harm Herders in Gambella
A total of 1.2 million hectares of land in Gambella has been allocated for investors. These projects are seen as a threat to the livelihood of several pastoralist groups in the region. In 2018, more land continues to be sold to investors. Photo credit: Alfredo Bini
Hamar: Shift to Agro-Pastoralism
Many Hamar living in the SNNPR region are unable to herd cattle due to climate change, drought, and increased sugar operations. As a result, some Hamar are retraining as farmers to survive. Despite farming crops, many Hamar retain traditional ways of life. Whether pastoralism is sustainable may depend on government development. Photo credit: Africa Geographic
The Chabu
The Chabu are one of the final hunter-gatherer societies left on Earth. They are the victims of human rights abuses by the Ethiopian Government due to violent displacement from their forest home making way for agricultural development.
The Afar
The Afar pastoralist group’s way of life is at risk from the Ethiopian Government, who allocated their land to large-scale agriculture and sugar industries. As a result, the Afar have resistance organizations seeking a multi-dimensional resolution defending their land rights. Photo credit: ADH/Stefan Trappe
Afar in Djibouti
Afar are a pastoralist ethnic group in Eastern Africa. In Djibouti, they face harsh conditions and struggle to sustain their lifestyle. Photo Credit: Eric Lafforgue.