Land Rights and the Forest Peoples of Africa
Land Rights and the Forest Peoples of Africa
Land Rights and the Forest Peoples of Africa
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<strong>L<strong>and</strong></strong> rights <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> forest peoples <strong>of</strong> <strong>Africa</strong> – Part II<br />
inhabited or used without <strong>the</strong>ir free <strong>and</strong> informed consent, to take steps to return those<br />
l<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> territories. Only when this is for factual reasons not possible, <strong>the</strong> right to<br />
restitution should be substituted by <strong>the</strong> right to just, fair <strong>and</strong> prompt compensation. Such<br />
compensation should as far as possible take <strong>the</strong> form <strong>of</strong> l<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> territories. 45<br />
At <strong>the</strong> regional level, <strong>the</strong> rights to non-discrimination <strong>and</strong> equality are guaranteed by <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Africa</strong>n Charter. 46 Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, equality <strong>of</strong> all peoples is explicitly protected. 47 The Working<br />
Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Africa</strong>n Commission explains how <strong>the</strong><br />
different indigenous groups in central <strong>Africa</strong> suffer from being looked down upon by o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> society, how in many places <strong>the</strong>y are dehumanised <strong>and</strong> described as<br />
creatures, <strong>and</strong> how <strong>the</strong> rest <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> population would prefer <strong>the</strong>m to ‘settle down <strong>and</strong> ab<strong>and</strong>on<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir way <strong>of</strong> life <strong>and</strong> imitate <strong>the</strong>ir own way <strong>of</strong> living <strong>and</strong> earning’. 48 The working group<br />
declares that: ‘<strong>the</strong> rampant discrimination towards indigenous peoples is a violation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Africa</strong>n Charter’. 49<br />
An important problem is raised, however, by some <strong>Africa</strong>n states’ reaction to those st<strong>and</strong>ards.<br />
Rw<strong>and</strong>a, for example, explained to <strong>the</strong> <strong>Africa</strong>n Commission during <strong>the</strong> examination <strong>of</strong> its<br />
state report in November 2007, that, because <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> genocide <strong>of</strong> 1994, <strong>the</strong> government could<br />
not integrate <strong>the</strong> concept <strong>of</strong> indigenous peoples. The Rw<strong>and</strong>an government claimed that<br />
every Rw<strong>and</strong>an was equal, that <strong>the</strong>re were no indigenous peoples in Rw<strong>and</strong>a, <strong>and</strong> that<br />
<strong>the</strong>refore <strong>the</strong> legal concept <strong>of</strong> indigenous peoples <strong>and</strong> its afferent protections did not apply to<br />
<strong>the</strong> country. 50<br />
While it is clear to <strong>the</strong> <strong>Africa</strong>n Commission that groups <strong>of</strong> hunter–ga<strong>the</strong>rers from <strong>the</strong> <strong>Africa</strong>n<br />
forests, such as <strong>the</strong> Batwa, Baka <strong>and</strong> Bagyeli, are indigenous peoples as understood in<br />
international law, 51 <strong>the</strong> Commission also acknowledges that ‘very few <strong>Africa</strong>n countries<br />
recognise <strong>the</strong> existence <strong>of</strong> indigenous peoples in <strong>the</strong>ir countries’ <strong>and</strong> ‘even fewer recognise<br />
<strong>the</strong>m in <strong>the</strong>ir national constitutions or legislation’. 52<br />
Reactions such as that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Rw<strong>and</strong>an government reveal a misunderst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> status <strong>of</strong><br />
indigenous peoples, according to <strong>the</strong> Commission:<br />
45<br />
UN Committee on <strong>the</strong> Elimination <strong>of</strong> Racial Discrimination, General Recommendation XXIII (51)<br />
concerning Indigenous <strong>Peoples</strong>, adopted at <strong>the</strong> 1235th meeting, 18 August 1997, UN Doc. CERD/C/51/Misc.<br />
13/Rev. 4, paragraph 5.<br />
46<br />
ACHPR, Articles 2 <strong>and</strong> 3.<br />
47<br />
Ibid., Article 19.<br />
48<br />
ACHPR report, pp 35–6.<br />
49<br />
Ibid., p 34.<br />
50<br />
There are no <strong>of</strong>ficial transcripts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> oral response delivered in public session during <strong>the</strong> <strong>Africa</strong>n<br />
Commission on Human <strong>and</strong> <strong>Peoples</strong>’ <strong>Rights</strong> held in Brazzaville, Republic <strong>of</strong> Congo, in November 2007.<br />
However, un<strong>of</strong>ficial notes taken by <strong>the</strong> International Working Group for Indigenous Affairs can be found at<br />
http://www.gitpa.org/Peuple%20GITPA%20500/GITPA%20500-6.htm<br />
51<br />
ACHPR report, pp 95–7.<br />
52<br />
Ibid., p 107; for a definition <strong>of</strong> indigenous peoples see pp 86–104.<br />
Couillard & Gilbert 39<br />
March 2009