With the reignition of conflict in the wake of Wagner-Junta aggression, Mali’s Kel Tamasheq (Tuareg) and Fulani communities are under attack.
Category: Refugees
Once indigenous lands and territories are expropriated through any of the other violations explored on this site, displacement follows on scales ranging from a few individuals or households to entire communities. This is producing growing populations of both internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, whose search for new land on which to pursue their livelihoods rarely find welcome. The cascading effects of eviction and displacement, which necessarily results in the displaced having to seek refuge on the land of others, is more conflict and more displacement. Host communities may themselves be subject to similar threats of land appropriation, breeding suspicion and amplifying the divide between host and guest, resident and immigrant. This is exacerbated where indigenous peoples are concerned since they typically meet with disrespect, disdain and a devaluing of their cultures, livelihoods and humanity by majority populations.
Disappearance of Lake Chad
Sahrawi vs Land Grabbing in the Western Sahara
For decades, the Sahrawi people of the Western Sahara have fought occupation, and today face a new reality of eviction and cultural erasure.
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.
Sherkole and Tsore Refugee Camps
The Benishangul-Gumuz region is home to refugee camps housing refugees from Sudan and South Sudan, while additionally housing internally displaced people within Ethiopia. Furthermore, ethnic conflict and lack of resources have exacerbated issues in the region. Photo Credit: Africa News.
Anywaa (Anuak) vs. Nuer vs. Gambella
The Anywaa are an agro-pastoralist group living in Gambella. The Nuer are pastoralists who primarily live in South Sudan, but have found much of their population fleeing to Gambella as refugees, resulting in conflict with the Anywaa. Today, the country is reportedly home to the world’s most internally displaced peoples. Photo credit: Francois Servranckx/MSF
Caught in the Middle: Kunama Refugees
Indigenous Kunama people from Eritrea have sought refuge in Badme, Ethiopia, since the deadly Border War between the two rival countries. However, there may be hope for justice in 2018, including Ethiopian withdrawal from disputed areas near the border. Photo Credit: James Jeffrey/Al Jazeera