Batwa man killed in escalating violence against Indigenous community in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, DRC
On 11th May, a member of the Batwa Indigenous Community, Mr Gloire Willy Maroba, was shot dead by a member of one of the DRC self-defense militias (Wazalendo) in the most recent case of violence against the Batwa community linked to the Kahuzi-Biega National Park (PNKB).
This killing comes in the context of a rapidly deteriorating security situation in the park. The Batwa have faced severe persecution, displacement and violence since the government evicted them from their ancestral land to create the PNKB in the 1970s.
Reports from the region indicate that the security situation is rapidly worsening as more attacks are being reported. On May 3rd, a Muzalendo (a member of the Wazalendo) entered a marketplace café and asked if any Batwa were present. On hearing that there were, he opened fire and injured three individuals.
There are indications that Gloire was being targeted for his work as a Batwa community leader who was actively speaking out for his community. It is believed that this incident was a response to attempts by the Batwa to try to stop the Wazalendo from passing through their villages with resources they have extracted from the forest.
“These [armed] groups engage not only in violations of indigenous rights (intimidation, arbitrary arrests, shootings of members of Batwa communities, etc.), but also in the exploitation of natural resources (ore, planks, embers) inside the park.” said a Batwa community member from the region.
“The Batwa are worried about the security situation which has become very critical in their villages inside the PNKB following the presence of local armed groups,” he said.
The Batwa's attempts to protect and conserve the forest are being met with ongoing attacks, which are not only a gross violation of their human rights, but also threaten the Batwa's cultural survival. Being denied access to their ancestral lands means they are often unable to access their traditional foods, medicines and sacred sites within the PNKB.
Since being evicted from the land that has sustained them since time immemorial, the Batwa have peacefully struggled to return to their territory, using both dialogue and national and international courts. Apart from the Whakatane Dialogue in 2014, none of the dialogues initiated by the authorities have focused on recognising Batwa land rights. Some have included attempts to find land outside the Park for the Batwa but in this densely populated region this has never been a realistic response. The lack of any meaningful response to their situation led many of the Batwa to return to their lands inside the Park, starting in October 2018.
During this time, they have been the victims of violent evictions, human rights abuses, killings and arbitrary detentions, carried out both by PNKB eco-guards in the name of conservation, and more recently by armed groups such as the Wazalendo that have based themselves in the park to extract minerals, charcoal and timber.
Lassana Kone, FPP Lawyer, says: “The government of the DRC must take measures to hold perpetrators of violence to account and support and provide justice and redress to victims. The government agency ICCN [Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature] needs to focus on working with the Batwa both to restore their rights to their lands and to protect the PNKB from exploitation by armed groups.”
The presence of different armed groups in the region has endangered the park’s natural resources and biodiversity, as well as posing a severe security risk for the Batwa living there.
Local nongovernmental agencies working in support of Batwa communities expressed their concern at the “critical situation” experienced by the Batwa.
“[The situation is] characterised by the influx of displaced people, the presence of uncontrolled armed groups, self-defense militias (Wazalendo) and other communities neighbouring the Batwa who are tirelessly engaging in the abusive exploitation of the PNKB’s natural resources.”
According to reports on the ground, the PNKB park management has decided to withdraw their eco-guards from the areas where the militias are attacking the Batwa, instead of stepping in to support these communities who are trying to limit the militias’ destruction and exploitation of the park.
Although the PNKB was created to conserve the natural biodiversity in the area, it was created in accordance with a colonial conservation model that involves evicting indigenous peoples from their lands. However, the Batwa people have co-existed with and contributed to the biodiversity of the forest effectively for centuries.
The park, which is funded by international donors such as the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), has been linked to multiple human rights violations, most notably in a report by Minority Rights Group in April 2022. In this context of significant violence, US-based Wildlife Conservation Society took over management of the park but appear to have taken few actions to improve the situation.
The Batwa continue to be ready to collaborate with WCS, the ICCN and the government to reach the common goal of protecting the biodiversity of the PNKB from further exploitation - whether by unregulated armed groups or by others intent on extracting resources. The Batwa are clear that this goal can only be reached by securing their community rights to their lands, rights which will end their extreme poverty and marginalisation and strengthen their ability to protect their lands
On May 31st, an edit was made to this article. The mention of GIZ (German Development Bank) funding Kahuzi Biega National Park was removed as it was factually inaccurate.
Overview
- Resource Type:
- News
- Publication date:
- 28 May 2024
- Region:
- Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
- Programmes:
- Access to Justice Conservation and human rights Territorial Governance Culture and Knowledge