Amina Haleem, Paige Wilhite Jennings and Keikantse E. Phele
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TUNISIA MOROCCO ALGERIA LIBYA Western EGYPT Sahara MAURITANIA MALI NIGER ERITREA SENEGAL THE GAMBI A CHAD SUDAN GUINEA-BISSAU BURKINA DJIBOUTI FASO GUINEA BENIN NIGERIA SIERRA TOGO ETHIOPIA LEONE CÔTE CENTRAL D’IVOIRE GHANA SOUTH SUDAN LIBERIA AFRICAN REP. CAMEROON SOMALIA UGANDA SAO TOME EQUAT. AND PRINCIPE GUINEA REP. OF KENYA GABON THE CONGO RWANDA DEM. REP. BURUNDI OF THE CONGO INDIAN TANZANIA OCEAN ANGOLA MALAWI ATL ANTIC ZAMBIA OCEAN MOZAMBIQUE ZIMBABWE MADAGASCAR NAMIBIA BOTSWANA SWAZILAND LESOTHO SOUTH AFRICA AfricaAmina Haleem, Paige Wilhite Jennings and Keikantse E. Phele Ethiopian Constitution devolves considerable and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World during the year suggesting that these relocations, power to its different communities, including Heritage Site and one of the most culturally carried out by the Ethiopian military, had been East autonomous governance arrangements and the diverse areas in the world. In particular, there accompanied by frequent human rights abuses, right to maintain their own language, culture are concerns over the ecological destruction of including violence and sexual assault. and history. the forests surrounding the Omo River, linked The disturbing impact of such large-scale Africa In practice, however, many of the country’s to the controversial Gilgel Gibe III hydroelectric projects has caused several international minorities and indigenous populations remain power plant. Besides generating electricity from donors to re-examine their approach towards vulnerable to human rights violations such as a large dam constructed on the river, the project support for such projects. Following on from and the loss of land and lack of access to basic services. is also designed to provide irrigation to a raft of national legislation passed in the United States These abuses take place in a political context state- and foreign-owned agricultural plantations in 2014, prohibiting development aid from largely monopolized by the Ethiopian People’s developed in the area on appropriated land. being used for any project that would lead to Horn Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), The government has repeatedly failed to displacement of communities without their an alliance of regionally based parties that has ensure adequate contingency plans are in place consent or compensation, in February 2015 Amina Haleem governed the country since 1991 and has been for pastoralist and indigenous communities the United Kingdom (UK) confirmed that widely criticized for its repressive practices. while they carry out their development projects, it was withdrawing development funding cross East Africa and the Horn, Nationwide elections in May resulted in the forcing communities off their ancestral land. from Ethiopia’s Promotion of Basic Services minorities and indigenous peoples EPRDF and its allies securing every seat in This displacement in turn leads to conflict programme and realigning its aid portfolio. A continue to face severe barriers to parliament, a process condemned by opposition between resettled communities, loss of property Although officially not connected to long- health, livelihoods, land and other rights – parties as unfair. such as livestock, restricted access to grazing land standing criticisms of Ethiopia’s villagization all issues that have weakened their ability to Among those marginalized by the current and erosion of culture. While the international programme, this change in policy came in maintain their distinct cultures. At the same government are the Oromo community, which debate continues over the dam’s ecological and the wake of a multi-donor report released by time, the erosion of their traditional lifestyles constitutes the largest ethnic community in domestic impact, the livelihoods of over 200,000 the European Union, highlighting significant has undermined their collective well-being and the country, with some estimates suggesting indigenous people, including Bodi, Kwegu, problems with the Ethiopian government’s pushed them further into poverty. For many they comprise between 25 and 40 per cent of Mursi and Suri communities, risk being severely practices, as well as a lawsuit brought by an communities, such as Kenya’s forest-dwelling the population. Though socially, economically compromised. The Kwegu people, for example, Anuak man alleging that UK development aid Sengwer or the numerous indigenous peoples and religiously diverse, Oromo are united by a who live in the south-west of the country along had funded human rights violations against him residing in the Omo Valley in Ethiopia, culture shared language, also widely spoken in northern the Omo River, are facing a food crisis due to and his family in the Gambella region. is intimately linked to access to land. Land Kenya and parts of Somalia. Despite their large widespread irrigation for plantations in the area The damage caused by development-induced grabbing and forced evictions in these and numbers, Oromo have suffered a long history that has deprived them of essential water and displacement to minority and indigenous cultures other countries, often to accommodate energy of exclusion and forced assimilation by the fish supplies. in the region has been substantial. Besides the projects, conservation programmes and tourism Ethiopian government, leading to the decline of Similarly, other state-led developments have impacts of evictions from traditional lands and parks, have not only deprived them of shelter, their pastoralist lifestyle. An ongoing source of been largely implemented without consultation loss of access to grazing areas that have supported livelihoods and essential resources, but also anger is the government’s proposed expansion of or accommodation of indigenous and pastoralist pastoralists’ livelihoods for generations, it is threaten the very basis of their identity. Elsewhere the capital city of Addis Ababa into the politically communities, causing them to lose large areas estimated that there could be an influx of as in the region, such as South Sudan, ethnic autonomous Oromia Region, which could lead to of ancestral land to foreign corporations to many as half a million workers from other parts violence and conflicts over limited resources the displacement of thousands of Oromo farmers accommodate sugar cane plantations and other of Ethiopia into planned sugar plantations in have led to the wholesale displacement of some and remove the annexed territory from Oromo investments. A recurring element in these the Lower Omo region, transforming the social communities, in the process disrupting long control. Reminiscent of earlier displacements of projects is a process of forced relocation known context for established communities such as the established ways of life. Oromo communities by the government, as well as ‘villagization’, whereby pastoralist groups are Bodi and Mursi. The government has done little as forced resettlement of other communities into resettled in makeshift villages, often far away to alleviate these pressures. While its ecological Ethiopia Oromo territory, the plan has provoked a series of from livelihood opportunities, natural resources and energy projects deprive indigenous peoples Ethiopia is a federation of nine regional states, protests by Oromo demonstrators, culminating in or basic services. Many instances of these of their ancestral lands, preventing them from encompassing a range of languages, ethnicities a student protest in December 2015 in which 10 have been linked with development assistance practising their cultural and spiritual traditions, and cultures. Besides a variety of indigenous people were killed and several hundred injured. programmes financed by international donors it has also marketed the unique practices of communities, including Afar and Anuak, there The government’s development policies in such as the World Bank. In January 2015, an these communities to promote tourism – a are also a significant number of ethnic groups, other parts of the country have also impacted internal report by its internal watchdog panel was situation that has frequently led to humiliating such as ethnic Somalis, who, as a predominantly heavily on some of the more marginalized leaked, reportedly identifying an ‘operational link’ or exploitative practices. Mursi and Suri people, Muslim community in the majority Christian indigenous peoples. This is particularly the case between funding provided by the World Bank for example, increasingly unable to pursue their country represent a religious minority too. In in the Lower Omo Valley and Lake Turkana, a and the forced displacement of Anuak living in traditional livelihoods, now rely on performing principle, to accommodate this diversity, the recognized United Nations Educational, Scientific the Gambella region. Further evidence emerged ritualistic dances and posing for photos for 74 Africa State of the World’s Minorities State of the World’s Minorities Africa 75 and Indigenous Peoples 2016 and Indigenous Peoples 2016 Left: Members of the Endorois community in the social fabric of the community, including Kenya perform a dance. MRG. the erosion of their language and traditions that amounted to ‘cultural ethnocide and extinction’. their claims. These included recognition of Maasai communities in Kenya have also their ownership of their land, restitution of suffered devastating blows to their cultural their land and compensation. In September practices due to large-scale land grabs by the 2014, the government established a Task Force government.