African Human Rights Commission condemns Indigenous groups’ eviction to protect nature

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Congolese government violated the rights of the Indigenous Batwa community by evicting them about 50 years ago from their ancestral lands to expand one of the country’s biggest national parks, according to the African Union’s commission on human rights. Batwa people lived as hunters and gatherers in the forested areas of Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. In 1970, a Belgian photographer and conservationist founded the now-famous Kahuzi-Biega National Park. Following the park’s expansion in 1975, around 13,000 Batwa people were evicted. In the decision, made public Monday, the commission called on the Congolese government to allow for their safe return, grant them ownership of their ancestral lands, issue a public apology and pay compensation.