Kinshasa — Customary Land Tax Dispute in 2022 Sparks Hundreds of Killings Intercommunal violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo‘s western Kwamouth territory from June 2022 to March 2023 has killed at least 300 people in cycles of attacks and reprisals, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should urgently address longstanding disputes over customary […]
Harare — The crisis in Zimbabwe is having “terrible consequences” for the whole of Southern Africa by delaying the building of roads, railways and power lines, says former Mozambique president Joaquim Chissano. Speaking at a high-level debt resolution forum on May 15 in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, he said that since Zimbabwe is located in the […]
Narok — President William Ruto has asked all those who have encroached on Government forests across the country to move out. He warned of stern action against those who would defy the directive to move out. President Ruto said the Ministry of Environment has been directed to ensure counties use the El Nino rains to […]
Mountains are home to more than 85% of the world’s amphibian, bird and mammal species. Lowland slopes are rich in animal and plant species. And rugged, high-elevation environments, although lacking such biological diversity, play a key role in maintaining biodiversity in the wider mountain catchment area. The variation in mountain ecosystems also allows humans to […]
Lwengo, Uganda — As its habitat disappears due to human encroachment on Uganda’s wetlands, the gray crowned crane has moved to farmland in search of food. That’s a problem. Looking at the gray crowned crane, it’s not difficult to see why it appears at the center of Uganda’s flag. Thin spikes that look like a […]
The African Development Bank has moved to fast-track Zimbabwe’s $3.5 billion compensation to white farmers whose land was seized under former president Robert Mugabe’s reforms. The bank is leading efforts to clear Zimbabwe’s crippling debts. “A revived Zimbabwe is good for Africa. A revived Zimbabwe is good for the world,” said Akinwumi Adesina, president of […]
There was a time, about 20 years ago, when, at the Manguzi district hospital in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, (and, of course, at hospitals throughout South Africa too) mothers and their babies were dying of AIDS at shockingly high rates. “We used to get these patients who were slow progressors,” Mark Blaylock, medical manager at Manguzi, tells […]
Despite not securing a phase-out of fossil fuels, COP28 witnessed a historic focus on food. The summit saw over $7 billion in funding commitments, as well as a pledge by 152 countries to include food and agriculture in their climate plans. There is no doubt that commercial agriculture is a major contributor to the climate crisis, […]
United Nations — In the developing world, land rights for women remain tenuous in the agricultural sector. But if women farmers are recognized as landowners in their own right, it can lead to greater economic empowerment and be a positive step towards eradicating poverty. This formed part of the wider discussions that are being hosted […]
Nairobi — Tanzania’s policies on conservation and its ongoing impacts on Maasai people in Ngorongoro district highlight how communities historically marginalized by oppression still wrestle with colonial policies. When colonial authorities declared the Serengeti area a national park in 1951, communities within its borders were relocated to Ngorongoro district for permanent settlement. But for the […]
Activists say the appointment of a Special Master of the Land Claims Court should speed up the process Less than half of land claims by former labour tenants have been finalised. Labour tenants were given access to land during apartheid in exchange for labour on commercial farms. 1998 legislation entitled them to apply for title […]
Nouakchott, Mauritania — Deep in the heart of Southeastern Mauritania lies the district and town of Bassikounou, nestled on the border with neighboring Mali, over 1,200 kilometers from the capital city of Nouakchott. The border between the two countries is barely visible, but the communities on either side remain tightly knit through their shared family […]
The existing State Land Disposal Act could be used to fast track the use of public land for human settlement Land activists are urging the President to use the State Land Disposal Act of 1961 to make public land available for human settlement. About 600 people marched on Wednesday to the official Cape Town residence […]
Malindi — A close relative of former US President Barack Obama is embroiled in a land ownership dispute with a German national within the Kilifi/Jimba settlement scheme in Kilifi County. Rita Auma Obama, a half-sister to Obama, is indicated in the Kilifi Lands Registry as the sole owner of a 3.2-acre beach plot, which is […]
Kigali, Rwanda — In every corner of the globe, the significance of land as the bedrock of shelter, security, and livelihood is undeniable. Yet, almost 50% of the world’s population – women – are denied equal rights to land, and often lack the legal rights to own or inherit land. A long-standing issue in Africa […]
Tourism body warned that this would threaten species and actually lose money for the Zambian economy Excavation for a vast open cast copper mine in the heart of the Lower Zambezi National Park has begun. The bulldozers’ move into Zambia’s pristine wildlife sanctuary and famous tourist attraction follows a decade-long fight by activists trying to […]
Provincial department wants the area to be declared a disaster zone Small-scale farmers in the Cederberg are battling to rebuild their livelihoods after floods devastated their crops last month. The provincial department of agriculture estimates the financial cost of the damages to be more than R1-billion. The department is now approaching the National Disaster Management […]
Nairobi, Kenya — “We do not want adults to feel sorry for us. We want to be included in finding solutions,” said Phillipa Cride Dole, a young climate activist and child advocate from Sierra Leone. Dole is one of many children who have been affected by climate change. She has seen her community ravaged by […]