Human Rights Watch says people in the remote western Gambella region of Ethiopia are being forcibly moved to inadequate villages to free up land for commercial agriculture. A report released by the New York-based group has said Ethiopia last year resettled about 70,000 people in its western Gambella region under its first, three-year “villagisation” programme. The Horn of Africa has already leased three million hectares – an area almost the size of Belgium – to foreign agri-businesses.
A World Bank report last year on leasing agricultural land to foreign companies noted that some of Ethiopia’s leases last up to 100 years and favour rich foreigners over poor Ethiopians, with large investors receiving land and water free of charge along with tax benefits, while local peasants have to pay land taxes and other fees.
Ethiopia is forcing tens of thousands of people off their land to lease it to foreign investors, leaving former landowners destitute and, in some cases, starving.
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This is a growing and serious problem. The other Development charity that I support is currently involved in helping an overseas NGO prevent a huge Palm Oil plantation that would be owned by an American company and which would deprive the local people of their traditional forest, whose resources they currently use sustainably. I appreciate that Tree Aid as a charity has to be careful not to look political, (though I would say that setting up a charity is actually a political act of the very best sort) but I did wonder if there was any email campaign that one could take part in to try and persuade the Ethiopian government to respect the rights of its own citizens. If you know of one and would send me a link to it, I’d be most grateful.
Hi Charles,
Thanks for your post! We agree that local people’s rights to manage forests sustainably are incredibly important. You might be interested in supporting the Dakar Appeal Against Land Grabs petition (http://www.petitiononline.com/dakar/petition.html). Action Aid and Oxfam are also campaigning on this issue and TREE AID works on it directly through our rights and access work.
Thanks again,
Julia