UN declaration on indigenous people blocked

112

2006-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

1164844800

2099

en_en

Final approval at the UN General Assembly of the declaration on indigenous peoples’ rights has been blocked by a group of African countries led by Namibia, and supported by Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Russia. The declaration is the result of 24 years of discussion at the UN. The newly formed UN Human Rights Council, in its first session, recommended in June that the General Assembly approve the declaration. This week, 87 countries voted for a ‘non-active motion resolution’ tabled by Namibia, with 67 countries voting against and 25 abstentions. The vote will further delay the adoption of the declaration, and may lead to it being weakened. Botswana was among the states blocking the declaration. The Gana and Gwi <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=11">Bushmen</a> have taken the Botswana government to court over their eviction from their ancestral land. The court will rule on 13 December. Survival’s director Stephen Corry said today, ‘It’s extremely disappointing that the declaration is being delayed yet again. Indigenous peoples have already waited far too long for their rights to be recognised. The prime movers in this week’s result all have indigenous peoples living within their borders and facing ongoing struggles for their rights to their land and to self-determination. These countries should be ashamed of themselves.’ If approved, the declaration would set a benchmark against which countries' treatment of tribal peoples can be judged; it is not legally binding. The declaration recognises the rights of indigenous peoples to their land and to live as they wish. It also affirms that, for example, they should not be moved from their lands without their free and informed consent. For further information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email <a href="mailto:mr@survival-international.org">mr@survival-international.org </a>

1164977725

2099

2006-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

UN declaration on indigenous people blocked

2099

183

2006-12-01T12:55:25+00:00

Botswana: Bushman case - court to rule on 13 December

2006-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

1164758400

2097

en_en

<a href="../../../../../bushmenpresspack"><img src="../../../../../images/presspack_button.png" border="0" alt="Press Pack now online: summary, biographies, photos, videos and more" width="324" height="58" /></a> Judges in Botswana’s High Court will rule on 13 December on the landmark case brought by the Kalahari <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=11">Bushmen</a> against the Botswana government. The court will be open to journalists and members of the public. The Bushmen are fighting for their right to live on their land in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, and to hunt and gather freely there. They filed the case after the Botswana government evicted them from their land in 2002. Bushman woman Sellalefatse Gaexhoro says, ‘We are feeling it in our hearts, waiting for the court case to resume, and if we win it we can go back.’ The ruling will come only days after the US launch of the film, ‘Blood Diamond’. The Bushmen have <a href="../../../../../news.php?id=1872">appealed to Leonardo DiCaprio</a>, star of the film, by placing a full-page advert in Variety magazine asking him to help them. ‘After diamonds were found on our land we were evicted by the Botswana government’, said the letter. The Bushmen recently launched a website with quotes from more than 400 Bushman adults about their wish to return to their land. Together with their children they number around 1,000 people: <a href="http://www.iwant2gohome.org" target="_blank">http://www.iwant2gohome.org</a> The case has been the longest and most expensive in Botswana’s legal history, despite being brought by the country’s poorest inhabitants. At least 12% of the original 239 Bushman applicants have died in government resettlement camps since the case was filed. 135 more Bushmen have asked to be added to the original list of 239 applicants this year. <a href="../../../../../bushmenpresspack"> To view an online press file, including summaries, biographies, legal precedents, photos and video clips, click here</a> For further information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email <a href="mailto:mr@survival-international.org">mr@survival-international.org</a>

1164907908

2097

2006-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

Judges in Botswana’s High Court will rule on 13 December on the landmark case brought by the Kalahari Bushmen against the Botswana government.

Bushman case - court to rule on 13 December

2097

2006-11-30T17:31:48+00:00

Botswana: Kenyan hunter-gatherers speak out for Bushmen

2006-11-28T00:00:00+00:00

1164672000

2092

en_en

Two Kenyan hunter-gatherers who travelled 2,800 km to investigate the plight of the Kalahari <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=11">Bushmen</a> have called on Botswana’s government to ‘learn from our experience’. The two men, members of the <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=34">Ogiek</a> tribe, spent several days seeing at first hand the desperate situation of the Gana and Gwi Bushmen, now living in resettlement camps after being evicted from their ancestral land. One of the Ogiek men, Kiplangat Cheruyot, said, ‘Their lives, culture and tradition have been disrupted through the evictions. Families have been torn apart and the conflict between the people and the government agencies has induced a state of permanent fear.’ The Ogiek representatives and the Bushmen issued a joint statement after the visit denouncing the Bushmen’s forced relocation and calling on the government to allow them to return home. Mr Cheruyot, said, ‘Kenya fought its hunter-gatherers, mountain and forest people for decades, but the government realised its mistakes and gave indigenous hunter-gatherer people like ours title deeds for land. They helped the people to own and manage the wildlife resources in their areas, and draw the benefits of exploitation. I am sure Botswana can learn from our experience.’ The Ogiek were detained and interrogated by Botswana immigration officials as they left the country. <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="400"> <tbody><tr> <td> <img style="border: 1px solid #000000" src="../../../../../files/mediabox/news/ogiek_bushmen_pr.jpg" alt="Ogiek hunter-gatherers from Kenya holding a press conference where they denounced the Bushmen's forced relocation " width="400" height="273" /> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 1em; margin-top: 4px; color: #666666">Ogiek hunter-gatherers from Kenya holding a press conference where they denounced the Bushmen's forced relocation </td> </tr> </tbody></table>  For more information contact Kiplangat Cheruyot, Ogiek People's Development Program, on +254 721 602 573 or Miriam Ross on +44 (0)20 7687 8734 / <a href="mailto:mr@survival-international.org">mr@survival-international.org</a> <img src="../../../../../images/arrow.png" border="0" alt=" " hspace="2" width="10" height="8" /> <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=34" title="Information about the Ogiek">More information on the Ogiek</a>

1164729467

2092

2006-11-28T00:00:00+00:00

Two Kenyan hunter-gatherers who travelled 2,800 km to investigate the plight of the Kalahari Bushmen have called on Botswana’s government to ‘learn from our experience’.

Kenyan hunter-gatherers call on Botswana to ‘learn from our experience’.

2092

2006-11-28T15:57:47+00:00

Botswana: Kenyan hunter-gatherers detained and questioned

2006-11-27T00:00:00+00:00

1164585600

2090

en_en

Two <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=34">Ogiek</a> hunter-gatherers visiting Botswana to investigate the situation of the Kalahari <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=11">Bushmen</a> have been detained and questioned by the authorities. The two men, Kiplangat Cheruyot and Mpoiko Kobei, had traveled from Kenya to talk to Kalahari Bushmen now living in resettlement camps after being evicted from their ancestral lands. After holding a press conference in the Botswanan capital, Gaborone, the men were detained at the Zimbabwean border by Botswanan officials looking for ‘the two Kenyan passport holders’. They were then questioned for an hour on who they had met, who had invited them, and if they had anything to do with Survival International. After being released the men were dropped in the area between the Botswanan and Zimbabwean borders. Upon arriving in Zimbabwe, the police told them they were looking for ‘two escaped Kenyans’. At their Gaborone press conference Mr Cheruyot said, ‘[The Bushmen’s] lives, culture and tradition have been disrupted through the evictions. Families have been torn apart and the conflict between the people and the government agencies has induced a state of permanent fear.’ Mr Cheruyot added, ‘Kenya fought its hunter-gatherers, mountain and forest people for decades, but the government realised its mistakes and gave indigenous hunter-gatherer people like ours title deeds for land. They helped the people to own and manage the wildlife resources in their areas, and draw the benefits of exploitation. I am sure Botswana can learn from our experience.’ For more information contact Kiplangat Cheruyot, Ogiek People’s Development Program, +254 721 602 573 or Miriam Ross, Survival International, +44 (0)20 7687 8734 / <a href="mailto:mr@survival-international.org">mr@survival-international.org</a>

1164728437

2090

2006-11-27T00:00:00+00:00

Two Ogiek hunter-gatherers visiting Botswana to investigate the situation of the Kalahari Bushmen have been detained and questioned by the authorities.

Kenyan hunter-gatherers detained and questioned by Botswana authorities

2090

2006-11-28T15:40:37+00:00

Bolivia: Protection for isolated Indians

2006-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

1164240000

2044

en_en

The Bolivian government has created a reserve especially for isolated Indians. The reserve, created to protect the isolated Toromona tribe, is almost 19,000 sq km, and prohibits all logging activity, oil exploration and mining. Bolivia's neighbour, <a href="../../../../../news.php?id=2041">Peru</a>, has created a number of reserves especially for isolated Indians, but they are all overrun by either illegal loggers or threatened by oil and mining concessions and new roads. It is estimated there are about 15 different isolated tribes living in Peru, but encounters with loggers mean there are deaths every year. Survival's Director, Stephen Corry, said today, 'Survival congratulates the government of Bolivia on the creation of this reserve for isolated Indians and urges it to enforce protection on the ground. This move should act as a spur to its neighbour, Peru, to remember its most vulnerable citizens and come to their aid.’

1164302603

2044

2006-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

The Bolivian government has created a reserve especially for isolated Indians. The reserve, created to protect the isolated Toromona tribe, is almost 19,000 sq km, and prohibits all logging activity, oil exploration and mining.

Protection for isolated Indians

2044

-1

2006-11-23T17:23:23+00:00

Botswana: Kenyan hunters in press conference with Bushmen

2006-11-22T00:00:00+00:00

1164153600

2083

en_en

Two members of the hunter-gatherer <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=34">Ogiek</a> tribe of Kenya will hold a joint press conference in Gaborone tomorrow, 23 November, with <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=11">Bushman</a> organisation First People of the Kalahari. Date: Thursday 23 November Time: 3pm Place: Gaborone Hotel, Gaborone, Botswana Kiplangat Cheruiyot and Mpoiko Kobei travelled from Kenya this week on a fact-finding mission to New Xade resettlement camp. The Ogiek have spoken out before in support of the evicted Bushmen of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. In 2003 and 2004 they presented thousands of petition signatures to the Botswana High Commission in Nairobi, to mark the second and third anniversaries of the 2002 Bushman evictions. 'The heart of the Ogiek people goes out to our brothers and sisters the Gana and Gwi Bushmen... Brothers and sisters: do not let your persecutors make you forget who you are: no matter how far away from it you have been taken, the land and life your forefathers gave you belong to you. Be strong! You will see your land again!' The Ogiek are one of the few remaining hunter-gatherer tribes in East Africa. They live in the Mau mountain forest, overlooking the Rift Valley. The Ogiek have suffered repeated evictions from their land, and their forest is threatened by loggers, settlers and tea planters. For further information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email <a href="mailto:mr@survival-international.org">mr@survival-international.org</a>

1164219385

2083

2006-11-22T00:00:00+00:00

Two members of the hunter-gatherer Ogiek tribe of Kenya will hold a joint press conference in Gaborone tomorrow, 23 November, with Bushman organisation First People of the Kalahari.

Kenyan hunter-gatherers in press conference with Bushmen

2083

2006-11-22T18:16:25+00:00

Malaysia: tribe holds out against loggers

2006-11-20T00:00:00+00:00

1163980800

2070

en_en

A small group of nomads on the island of Borneo are continuing to defy loggers targeting their rainforest home. For over two years the members of the <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=42">Penan</a> tribe have manned a road blockade to prevent the entry of the Samling Group, a giant logging company which has already destroyed large parts of their territory. The Penan, who live in a community called Long Benali, set up their blockade in February 2004 to protect one of the last remaining areas of intact forest in the Malaysian province of Sarawak, in the north of the island of Borneo. In June 2006, the authorities announced that they would remove the Long Benali blockade and arrest four Penan leaders. However, thanks to thousands of protest emails and letters sent to the Malaysian authorities by Survival supporters and others, the blockade remains in place. Sound Bujang, the headman of Long Benali, said in a message to the outside world, ‘We are very proud to hear that so many people are on our side. This is strong encouragement for us to continue our struggle’.

1164025235

2070

2006-11-20T00:00:00+00:00

A small group of nomads on the island of Borneo are continuing to defy loggers targeting their rainforest home.

Tribe holds out against loggers

2070

2006-11-20T12:20:35+00:00

Botswana: Opposition party stands with the Bushmen

2006-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

1163721600

2060

en_en

One of Botswana’s leading opposition parties, the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), has attacked President Mogae over the eviction of the <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=11">Bushmen</a>. The deputy leader of the BCP, Dr Kesetigile Gabotswang, who recently led a BCP fact-finding mission to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, demanded that the evicted Bushmen be allowed to return to the reserve, and said that the government’s reasons for forcefully evicting the Bushmen are ‘not convincing’. Dr Gabotswang said the President showed a lack of ‘maturity’ when dealing with ‘national issues such as the relocation of Basarwa’ [Bushmen]. He declared that the BCP mission’s findings contradicted the ‘government’s false argument that the Basarwa were relocated from CKGR to access education, health and other social services’. The mission concluded the Bushmen were ‘effectively forcefully removed’ by ‘threats and acts of intimidation perpetrated by government agents’. Dr Gabotswang stated the Botswana government was ‘proving difficult to trust’, and ignored ‘the concerns of eminent persons like Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and continental bodies like the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights at her own peril’.

1163775698

2060

2006-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

One of Botswana’s leading opposition parties, the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), has attacked President Mogae over the eviction of the Bushmen.

Opposition party stands with the Bushmen

2060

2006-11-17T15:01:38+00:00

Colombia: New diseases hit nomads as government stands by

2006-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

1163721600

2059

en_en

The nomadic <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=199">Nukak-Maku</a>, one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes in the world, has been hit by tuberculosis and chicken pox, putting their survival at serious risk. The Nukak are camped on the edge of a town and are pleading with the government to be allowed to return to their homes in the rainforest, which they fled after becoming caught in the crossfire of Colombia’s drugs war. The tuberculosis and chicken pox follow a flu epidemic which affected almost a quarter of the tribe, the death of a nine year old boy, and the suicide of Nukak leader, Mao-be. Mao-be is believed to have been in despair at the failure of the government to arrange for his people to return home. Since first being contacted by outsiders in 1988, when they numbered 1200, the Nukak have, like all isolated tribes, been very vulnerable to disease. Today just 500 survive; the rest have died from diseases such as malaria and flu. Survival’s Director, Stephen Corry, said today, ‘Although the government is providing food and some medical assistance to the Nukak refugees, it must realise that no amount of these things distributed to them on the outskirts of a town is going to ensure their survival. For that to happen, the Nukak must be able to return to their own homes, safely and with access to the necessary medical care.’ Photos available. Survival campaigner David Hill has recently returned from the Nukak. For more information contact Miriam Ross on +44 (0)20 7687 8734 or <a href="mailto:mr@survival-international.org">mr@survival-international.org</a>

1163767314

2059

2006-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

The nomadic Nukak-Maku, one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes in the world, has been hit by tuberculosis and chicken pox, putting their survival at serious risk.

New diseases hit nomads as government stands by

2059

199

2006-11-17T12:41:54+00:00

Botswana: Diamond companies move in to Bushman land

2006-11-16T00:00:00+00:00

1163635200

2057

en_en

A new wave of diamond exploration is sweeping the lands of the Kalahari <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=11">Bushmen</a> in Botswana. A drilling company, TH Drilling, has confirmed it has started operations inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The news comes just four weeks before the release of the <a href="../../../../../news.php?id=1872">Leonardo DiCaprio</a> film Blood Diamond. The Bushmen have appealed to Mr DiCaprio to help them, as they and many outside observers believe they were evicted from their land to make way for future diamond mining. TH Drilling appears to be operating on behalf of Petra Diamonds, which has also confirmed in a statement that they are starting a large exploration and drilling programme inside the reserve. The company has identified 95 ‘magnetic anomalies’ (possible diamond-bearing rock) in the Gope area – Gope is a former Bushman community. Petra says that the Gope area is ‘known to host strongly diamondiferous kimberlites’. Kimberlite is the rock in which diamonds are found. As the diamond companies move in, the Bushmen who inhabited the land for thousands of years are starting to succumb to AIDS and other illnesses. A 29-year-old Gana Bushman woman from the reserve has recently died of AIDS in New Xade resettlement camp. <a href="../../../../../news.php?id=2042">Tumelo Sebelegangwana</a> leaves one child of her own, and two children of her sister, who died earlier of TB. Veteran human rights defender, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, has made a <a href="../../../../../news.php?id=2016">video appeal</a> expressing concern that the Bushmen ‘have been forcibly removed from their ancestral lands and placed in resettlement camps under unacceptable living conditions’. For further information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email <a href="mailto:mr@survival-international.org">mr@survival-international.org</a>

1163688745

2057

2006-11-16T00:00:00+00:00

A new wave of diamond exploration is sweeping the lands of the Kalahari Bushmen in Botswana.

Diamond companies move in as AIDS takes hold of evicted Bushmen

2057

2006-11-16T14:52:25+00:00

Botswana: Tragedy of mother’s death highlights AIDS crisis

2006-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

1163548800

2042

en_en

A 29-year-old Gana <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=11">Bushman</a> woman from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve has died of AIDS in New Xade resettlement camp, Botswana. Tumelo Sebelegangwana leaves one child of her own, and two children of her sister, who died earlier of TB. Tumelo Sebelegangwana said to Survival earlier this year, ‘I want to go and be buried in my home in Molapo [in the Reserve]. I am sick now, I am about to die… We were the first people from Molapo to be evicted. Here in New Xade there are different kinds of diseases that we do not recognise… When you get sick, you die.’ Jumanda Gakelebone of local Bushman organisation First People of the Kalahari said today, ‘So many of our people are dying in the resettlement camps. We did not know this disease of AIDS before we were evicted from our land. This is what the government’s ‘development’ means for us.’ Botswana has one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the world. The Bushmen in the Reserve were barely affected, but it is an increasing problem since relocation. Tumelo’s family was evicted from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in 1997. Her sister and her mother have also died in New Xade. Another sister is now caring for the three orphans left by Tumelo, plus four children of her own. First People of the Kalahari said in a statement released last week, ‘We are really suffering now in the resettlement places. We as FPK believe that conflict diamonds are whenever diamonds cause pain and suffering.’ First People of the Kalahari has written to Leonardo DiCaprio, star of the forthcoming film Blood Diamond, asking him to help them. ‘When we were chased off our land, officials told us it was because of the diamond finds,’ said the letter. Survival’s director Stephen Corry said today, ‘The tragedy of Tumelo’s family is repeated again and again across the Botswana government’s resettlement camps. This is no surprise – removing tribal peoples from their land has always had disastrous consequences for their health. The government can’t claim ignorance, because it has been warned repeatedly that this would happen.’ Photos of Tumelo Sebelegangwana and her children are available. For further information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email <a href="mailto:mr@survival-international.org">mr@survival-international.org</a>

1163597028

2042

2006-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

A 29-year-old Gana Bushman woman from the Central Kalahari has died of AIDS in New Xade resettlement camp, Botswana. Tumelo Sebelegangwana leaves one child of her own, and two children of her sister, who died earlier of TB.

Tragedy of mother's death highlights growing AIDS crisis

2042

2006-11-15T13:23:48+00:00

Peru: Survival campaigner investigates uncontacted tribes

2006-11-13T05:00:00+00:00

1163394000

2041

en_en

A Survival campaigner has recently returned from a trip to the Peruvian Amazon to identify areas inhabited by <a href="../../../../../related_material.php?id=507">uncontacted tribes</a>.David Hill, 28, travelled to the remote upper reaches of the Las Piedras, Yurua and Curanja rivers, gathering information about uncontacted peoples and the threats they face. Hill says, ‘The purpose of my trip was to find out as much as possible about these people without actually meeting them, although some uncontacted Indians did arrive unexpectedly one night in the village I was staying in. ‘Illegal mahogany logging is the biggest threat. I was shocked by reports of loggers regularly killing Indians, and by how open the mahogany trade is. Oil exploration is the other big threat. It opens up remote parts of the rainforest to outsiders, including more loggers, who introduce fatal diseases to the isolated tribes. More than half of one tribe died following oil exploration in the1980s. ‘The Peruvian government must act quickly to end oil exploration on the land of uncontacted Indians, and remove all illegal loggers. Otherwise these tribes face extinction.’ It is estimated there are about 15 uncontacted tribes in Peru. The majority are nomadic hunter-gatherers, moving across very large areas of the Amazon rainforest. David Hill is available for interview. To read our Isolated Indians background sheet click <a href="../../../../../related_material.php?id=507">here</a> Exclusive photos and footage available. For further information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email <a href="mailto:mr@survival-international.org">mr@survival-international.org </a>

1188492429

2041

2006-11-13T05:00:00+00:00

A Survival campaigner has recently returned from a trip to the Peruvian Amazon to identify areas inhabited by uncontacted tribes.

Survival campaigner investigates uncontacted Amazon tribes

2041

2007-08-30T18:47:09+01:00

Brazil: Land for last survivor of unknown Amazon tribe

2006-11-09T00:00:00+00:00

1163030400

2040

en_en

The last survivor of an unknown Amazon tribe is to be given more land to ensure his survival. Very little is known about this uncontacted Indian. He lives on his own in a patch of forest, surrounded by cattle ranches and soya plantations. It is believed that he is the last survivor of his tribe. <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="250" style="float: right; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em"> <tbody><tr> <td> <img style="border: 1px solid #000000" src="../../../../../files/mediabox/news/maninholehut.jpg" alt="'The man in the hole's' tiny hut in the garden he is cultivating " width="250" height="166" /> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 1em; margin-top: 4px; color: #666666">'The man in the hole's' tiny hut in the garden he is cultivating </td> </tr> </tbody></table> His people were almost certainly killed or died from diseases as ranchers, loggers and colonists have poured into the state of Rondônia during the last forty years, destroying the forest, pushing tribal peoples off their land, and even killing them. The Indian has been nicknamed 'the man in the hole’ because he digs holes several metres deep with spikes at the bottom, to catch animals. He has also dug a hole in the middle of a tiny hut, where he keeps his few possessions, so he can hide from any outsiders who approach. He has resisted attempts by the authorities to make contact with him in the past. <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="250" style="float: right; margin-left: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em"> <tbody><tr> <td> <img style="border: 1px solid #000000" src="../../../../../files/mediabox/news/maninhole_hole.jpg" border="1111" alt="The hole inside the hut where the Man in the Hole hides when outsiders approach" /> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-size: 1em; margin-top: 4px; color: #666666"> The hole inside the hut where 'the man in the hole' hides when outsiders approach </td> </tr> </tbody></table>FUNAI, the government’s Indian affairs department, will increase the size of the Tanaru Indigenous Territory where he lives, after discovering he has made small gardens and hunting camps outside the area legally set aside to protect him. This move will help ensure that 'the man in the hole' will remain isolated, as is his clear wish, and is in line with FUNAI’s policy of not making contact with uncontacted Indians unless their lives are under threat.

1163166441

2040

2006-11-09T00:00:00+00:00

The last survivor of an unknown Amazon tribe is to be given more land to ensure his survival.

Brazil: Land for last survivor of unknown Amazon tribe

2040

-1

2006-11-10T13:47:21+00:00

Botswana: Archbishop Tutu condemns Bushman evictions

2006-11-07T00:00:00+00:00

1162857600

2016

en_en

1162897225

2016

2006-11-07T00:00:00+00:00

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has condemned the eviction of the Kalahari Bushmen and has appealed to the Botswana government not to destroy them.

Archbishop Tutu condemns Bushman evictions

2016

2006-11-07T11:00:25+00:00

Brazil: Uncontacted Indian child found dead in Amazon

2006-11-03T00:00:00+00:00

1162512000

2020

en_en

The body of an isolated Indian child has been discovered in the Brazilian Amazon, in the state of Maranhão. An Indian from the Guajajara tribe came across the remains of the body whilst out hunting. The child’s age is estimated at about eight years old; it is unclear how he or she died. This tragic and mysterious death highlights the desperate situation of a group of approximately 60 uncontacted <a href="../../../../../tribes.php?tribe_id=47">Awá</a> Indians, to whose tribe the child belonged. Probably the largest known group of uncontacted Awá, they live in a territory which, despite being officially recognised by the government, has been illegally invaded by loggers for twenty years. The Awá have been forced to flee deep into the forest, and soon there will be nowhere for them to hide. They are easy targets for the (well-armed) loggers, and are likely to be exposed to fatal diseases. In May 2005 the Guajajara came across a group of about 15 Awá in the forest who fled in terror, abandoning their bows, arrows and other possessions. A team from the government’s Indian affairs department has just gone in to the area to assess the situation and possibly make contact, which in itself could lead to the transmission of fatal diseases. Stephen Corry, director of Survival said, ‘The authorities have failed to protect one of the smallest and most vulnerable tribes in Brazil. They must act now to remove all the loggers and protect the area. If not, this group will be wiped off the face of the earth for ever, like so many before them.’ The Awá are one of the last surviving nomadic tribes in Brazil and have suffered some of the worst persecution at the hands of loggers and ranchers; whole groups have been exterminated by gunmen. Today, some 250 live in four villages and about 100 remain uncontacted, living mostly in small family groups in the remnants of rainforest. For further information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email <a href="mailto:mr@survival-international.org">mr@survival-international.org</a>

1162572853

2020

2006-11-03T00:00:00+00:00

The body of an isolated Indian child has been discovered in the Brazilian Amazon, in the state of Maranhão. An Indian from the Guajajara tribe came across the remains of the body whilst out hunting.

Uncontacted Indian child found dead in Amazon

2020

2006-11-03T16:54:13+00:00

Peru: Historic double triumph for Indians over oil companies

2006-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

1162425600

2000

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A Chinese oil company, SAPET, exploring in the southeast Peruvian Amazon has announced it will not enter territory inhabited by isolated Indians. The Indians are believed to number around 600 people and to be part of the Piro tribe, but very little else is known about them. Because of their isolation from outside society, they remain very vulnerable to diseases, and contact can be fatal. The news comes as Achuar Indians in the north Peruvian Amazon have won a landmark victory against an Argentine oil company, PlusPetrol, after a blockade lasting almost two weeks. More than 800 Achuar blockaded PlusPetrol’s oil facility, the largest in Peru, in protest against environmental damage to their land caused by oil production. After an agreement was reached between the company and the Indians, including promises of improved environmental performance, oil production royalties for the Indians, and the acknowledgement that they oppose oil production on their land, the blockade was called off. Survival’s Director, Stephen Corry, said today, ‘This is an important victory for tribal people. Public opinion won’t stand any longer for companies riding rough-shod over their rights. It’s good to see that even oil companies operating in remote areas are recognising this.’ For further information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email <a href="mailto:mr@survival-international.org">mr@survival-international.org</a>

1162477871

2000

2006-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

A Chinese oil company, SAPET, exploring in the southeast Peruvian Amazon has announced it will not enter territory inhabited by isolated Indians.

Historic double triumph for Indians over oil companies

2000

-1

2006-11-02T14:31:11+00:00