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Defending tomorrow: The climate crisis and threats against land and environmental defenders

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6 years ago

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Defending tomorrow: The climate crisis and threats against land and environmental defenders

For years, land and environmental defenders have been the first line of defence against climate breakdown. Yet despite clearer evidence than ever of the crucial role they play, far too many businesses, financiers and governments fail to safeguard their vital and peaceful work.

The climate crisis is arguably the greatest global and existential threat we face. As it escalates, it serves to exacerbate many of the other serious problems in our world today – from economic inequality to racial injustice and the spread of zoonotic diseases.

For years, land and environmental defenders have been the first line of defence against the causes and impacts of climate breakdown. Time after time, they have challenged those companies operating recklessly, rampaging unhampered through forests, skies, wetlands, oceans and biodiversity hotspots.

Yet despite clearer evidence than ever of the crucial role they play and the dangers they increasingly face, far too many businesses, financiers and governments fail to safeguard their vital and peaceful work.

Our annual report into the killings of land and environmental defenders in 2019 shows the highest number yet have been murdered in a single year. 212 land and environmental defenders were killed in 2019 – an average of more than four people a week.

Key findings

Shockingly, over half of all reported killings last year occurred in two countries: Colombia and the Philippines.

Both have seen a rise in attacks against land and environmental defenders since 2018, with killings in Colombia in 2019 peaking at 64 activists – the highest Global Witness has ever recorded in the country. Reports show that the murder of community and social leaders has risen dramatically in Colombia in recent years.

The United Nations Human Rights Office points to several reasons for this growing tide of violence, such as the challenges of implementing the 2016 Peace Agreement including land reform and programmes meant to encourage farmers to swap illegal crops for legal harvests. The resulting shifts in local power dynamics is driving increased violence.

The Philippines has become even deadlier for activists since 2018, having been consistently named as one of the worst places in Asia for attacks against defenders.

But things got even worse in 2019 with the number of murders rising to 43. The relentless vilification of defenders by the government and widespread impunity for their attackers may well be driving the increase.

Over two-thirds of killings took place in Latin America, which has consistently ranked the worst-affected region since Global Witness began to publish data in 2012. In 2019, the Amazon region alone saw 33 deaths. Almost 90% of the killings in Brazil were in the Amazon. In Honduras, killings rose from four in 2018 to 14 last year, making it the most dangerous country per capita in 2019.

Mining was the deadliest sector, with 50 defenders killed in 2019. Agribusiness continues to wreak destruction, with 34 defenders killed, and 85% of such attacks recorded in Asia. And logging was the sector with the highest increase in killings globally since 2018, with 85% more attacks recorded against defenders opposing the industry and 24 defenders killed in 2019.

Europe remains the least-affected region, with two people killed in 2019, both working to stop illegal logging in Romania. Indigenous peoples continue to be at a disproportionate risk of reprisals, with 40% of victims belonging to indigenous communities. Between 2015 and 2019 over a third of all fatal attacks have targeted indigenous people – even though indigenous communities make up only 5% of the world’s population.

Over 1 in 10 defenders killed were women. Often the backbone of their community, women tend to take on more of the responsibility of looking after children and elderly relatives, on top of trying to earn a living and work as activists. Women who act and speak out may also face gender-specific threats, including sexual violence. If other members of their household are defenders, they can become targeted too.

We must follow the leaders at the frontline of the climate crisis

On average, four defenders have been killed every week since December 2015 – the month the Paris Climate agreement was signed, amid hopes of a new era of climate progress. Countless more are silenced by violent attacks, arrests, death threats, sexual violence or lawsuits.

Agribusiness and oil, gas and mining have been the biggest industrial drivers of this conflict – and, as they cut down our forests and pump carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, they are also the sectors pushing us further into runaway climate change.

Land and environmental defenders play a vital role in protecting these climate-critical forests and ecosystems.

Recent research shows that indigenous and local communities around the world are managing forests that contain carbon equivalent to 33 times our current annual emissions – although even this staggering figure is likely to be an underestimate.

At the same time, research is clearly showing that indigenous-managed lands have lower deforestation rates and better conservation outcomes than protection zones that exclude indigenous peoples.

The dark side of these facts is that indigenous communities also suffer a highly disproportionate number of the attacks on defenders. Insecure land tenure, irresponsible business practices and government policies that prioritise extractive economies at the cost of human rights are putting these people, and their land, at risk.

Addressing these issues should be at the forefront of the world’s efforts to tackle climate change. But as things stand, we are in danger of missing an enormous opportunity.

The question for all of us is whether we want to build a better, greener future for our planet and its people. The answer lies in following the leadership, the campaigns and solutions that land and environmental defenders have been honing for generations.

Recommendations

We must listen to the demands of land and environmental defenders and amplify them.

Inspired by their bravery and leadership, we must push those in power – businesses, financiers and governments – to tackle the root causes of the problem, support and safeguard defenders and create regulations that ensure projects and operations are carried out with proper due diligence, transparency and free prior and informed consent.

And you can help too.

Large-scale agriculture, mining and logging are still driving the majority of attacks against environmental defenders across the world.

But it does not have to be this way – we’re exposing these companies with irresponsible practices, and those that finance them and urging them to take action to ensure their operations do not harm our environment and those who stand up to protect it.

Join our campain, advocate for land and environmental defenders, and amplify their causes and their voices as we work to bring in better rules to regulate destructive, climate-wrecking activity at the hands of companies like these.

Download the full report Defending Tomorrow: The climate crisis and threats against land and environmental defenders (High resolution, 28.4MB, PDF)

Download the full report Defending Tomorrow: The climate crisis and threats against land and environmental defenders (Low resolution, 6.6MB, PDF)

Original Source: Global Witness

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MEDIA FOR CHANGE NETWORK

Nabakooba orders probe into 1,500-acre land dispute

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21 hours ago

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September 18, 2026

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Lands minister Judith Nabakooba has ordered an investigation into people suspected of illegally converting nearly 1,500 acres of customary land in Nakapiripirit District into freehold land and obtaining a title without the consent of the local community.

Located in Kawach Sub-county, the disputed land is claimed by residents, who say it was given to them by government after part of the former Pian Upe Game Reserve was degazetted to resettle communities which had been displaced.

Local leaders say more than 12,000 households are affected by the dispute. Residents are against Nakapiripirit District Council speaker Richard Lochoto, who is alleged to have claimed ownership of part of the land and subsequently obtained a freehold title.

The dispute escalated after residents accused Mr Lochoto of working with members of the area land committee to process the land without consulting the community.
The minister, who visited the area to hear their grievances on September 7, handed the matter to the district security committee, headed by Resident District Commissioner Bessie Modesta Ajirong for investigation.

She directed the security team to collect all relevant information and submit a report within two weeks.
Ms Nabakooba said those found to have participated in the alleged conversion of the customary land into freehold should be arrested. She also ordered investigations into claims that signatures of local leaders were forged during the transactions.

“If there are people whose signatures were forged, we shall get a handwriting expert to establish whether they actually signed the transfer documents,” she said.
Ms Nabakooba said if investigations establish that the title was obtained fraudulently, the title will be cancelled and the land will be returned to the community.

She further directed the Ministry of Lands officials to assist residents in forming a Communal Land Association (CLA), to enable them to collectively register and manage the land.
“This will keep your land safe from grabbers. You will be in a position to decide on different land uses,” Ms Nabakooba said.

According to documents accessed by the Monitor, an approved land file for registration of a freehold title was forwarded to the commissioner land registration on November 4, 2021.
Another document of a freehold offer dated October 25, 2021, showed that the district land board had approved a grant of freehold to Mr Lochoto, following an application dated October 2, 2018.

The offer indicated that the land was intended for farming and required the applicant to meet costs related to surveying, registration and issuance of the certificate of title, as well as compensation of any sitting tenants.
The documents further show that Mr Lochoto stated that the land was vacant. The form also contained names and signatures of members of the Area Land Committee, who recommended the applicant to the District Land Board.

However, residents disputed the claim that the land was vacant, saying the community had been using and laying plans for the land before the freehold application was processed.
Mr Paul Longok Lochio, the Okudud Village chairperson, said the land was important to the community because residents had increasingly turned to farming, following improvements in security in Karamoja.

He said many residents previously depended largely on cattle and guns for their livelihoods, but the restoration of peace had enabled communities to embrace agriculture.
“Farming is a source of food for many families here. That is why land is very important to us,” Mr Longok said.
He accused land grabbers of taking advantage of illiteracy among residents to process land documents.

The Kawach Sub-county chairperson, Ms Angella Gabriel Aroor, who served as the chairperson of the area land committee at the time of the transaction, said the local leadership was not informed when the land was being surveyed.
“How can you survey land without our signatures? How can you go behind our backs and approve things which we were not informed about?” he asked.

The community now seeks a fresh survey by the Ministry of Lands to establish the actual size and boundaries of the disputed land.
Residents say they want to use part of the land to establish a community market, specifically for cattle traders.
Ms Esther Anyakun, the Nakapiripirit Woman MP and State minister for Karamoja Affairs, said government should protect this land because it was intended to benefit communities that had previously been displaced from other areas.

She said residents had petitioned the government over lack of land after people were evicted from areas occupied by government institutions, including prison land and other protected areas.
“This particular land was given to communities by government because many people were found to be squatters on prison land and had no where to go,” Ms Anyakun said.
Ms Anyakun warned that the land dispute had become tense, with rival groups allegedly threatening one another.

She urged the District Land Board to conduct physical verification before approving applications involving large chunks of land.
She advised the board to conduct ground checks whenever applications for 10 or more acres are submitted, to establish whether the land exists, whether it is occupied and whether there are competing claims.

The Nakapiripirit District Land Board secretary, Mr Jobs Ilukol, said the board had followed procedures required in processing Mr Lochoto’s application.
He said the board relied on records and minutes submitted by the Area Land Committee before considering the application.

Mr Ilukol said the District Land Board does not own or sell land and only processes applications based on documents submitted to it.
“The board’s job ends after approving or rejecting an application. The applicant is responsible for pursuing registration and obtaining a certificate of title,” he said.

Source: monitor.co.ug

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Lira siblings reclaim father’s land after bitter family dispute

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21 hours ago

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September 18, 2026

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Krispus Adula and his aunt, Betty Akello, plant maize in their garden in Teyao Village, Ogur Sub-county, Lira District, on September 15, 2026. PHOTO/BILL OKETCH.

On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, Crispus Adula dug into the soil with a hand hoe in Teyao Village, Alwala Parish, Ogur Sub-county in Lira District. Behind him, his aunt, Betty Akello, followed slowly, planting maize seeds in a garden the family had spent months fighting to reclaim.

The land is part of 12 gardens that once belonged to Adula’s late father, Sylvesto Obile, and was formally restored to Adula and his two sisters, Jacklyn Anam and Immaculate Auma, on September 15, 2026.

Mr Obile died in 2019, leaving his children still young. Their mother, Silvia Amony, left the family home shortly afterwards and died in 2022.

Following their father’s burial, members of the Abwor Bako Omorikidi Clan met and agreed to place the children in the custody of their cousin, Oyugi. He was also entrusted with the family’s property, including the 12 gardens, four cattle, chickens and household belongings.

“After being handed over to our cousin, I dropped out of school in Primary Three because he was not taking good care of us,” Adula told Monitor.

He said that after turning 17 in 2025, he asked clan members to allow him and his siblings to return to their former homestead and begin living independently.

“So, when I reached 17 years of age in 2025, I demanded that clan members allow my siblings and me to go back to our former homestead, where our father died and left us, to start living on our own,” he said.

The siblings left Oyugi’s home in January 2025, prompting clan leaders to convene a meeting to formally return the family’s property.

By then, however, the cattle and chickens had disappeared, while Oyugi had reportedly hired out most of the 12 gardens to tenants and collected payments from them.

“It was only the gardens remaining,” Adula said. “But out of the 12 pieces, our cousin had hired out most of them, and he had taken money from those people.”

Clan members ordered Oyugi to return the land, and he agreed, except for two gardens which he claimed he had sold to raise money for the children’s school fees.

The dispute escalated when the siblings went to reclaim the two gardens.

“Our cousin came with his wife and found us digging the land, and they threatened to kill one of my sisters with a panga (machete) he was holding,” Adula recalled.

“We overpowered them, took the panga, and ran to the clan leader, and eventually to the LC1 chairman of Teyao Village, who referred us to the police,” he added.

According to Prossy Akello, an attorney with Redeem International, Oyugi and his wife later returned and began digging the same garden despite the children having reported the matter to police.

Police at Ogur Central Police Station charged the couple with criminal trespass and threatening violence before referring the case to Redeem International.

The organisation, a nonprofit that works with local law enforcement to combat violence and exploitation against widows and orphans in developing countries, supported the investigation and prosecution through its Lira City Field Office.

“We supported the police to conclude the investigation they had initiated, and then we supported the complainants to follow up the case — ensuring they were always present in court, and that their witnesses were always transported to attend,” Ms Akello said.

Redeem International also helped Adula return to school.

“We usually don’t pay school fees or give scholarships,” Ms Akello said, “but in this case our social worker did a needs assessment, and we looked out for other partners within Lira. We were able to secure a scholarship for Crispus, and right now he’s studying at one of the technical schools in Lira.”

Police completed their investigation, and Oyugi and his wife were summoned, recorded statements and were later arraigned before Lira Magistrate’s Court.

“The accused pleaded not guilty, and we had to go for a full trial,” Ms Akello said. “Judgment was delivered in June.”

Because both sides claimed ownership of the two disputed gardens, Magistrate Jonathan William Wamimbi ruled that either party could pursue a civil claim in court to determine ownership.

In the meantime, the magistrate ordered that the children, who were already in possession of the land, continue using it.

“That is why the children are still using the land,” Ms Akello said. “We’ve come back [today, September 15, 2026] to officially inform the public that these children will remain in possession until any other person moves to court by way of a civil suit to claim ownership.”

Bosco Adwale, clan chief of Abwor Bako Omorikidi, called for reconciliation between the relatives.

“Now that the matter has been resolved, we’re asking the children to forgive their cousin brother and his wife, for peace to prevail,” he said.

Bosco Otim, LC2 chairman of Alwala Parish and a member of the Area Land Committee, said the dispute also exposed a wider challenge of undocumented land ownership in the area.

“In the entire Teyao Village, there is only one person who has processed a land title,” he said.

John Kalisto Apita, a clan leader, said the dispute had been complicated but called on residents to learn from the case.

“This was a very complicated case, but I thank God it has been put to rest. I ask members of the community to pick a lesson from this land dispute,” he said.

Lira Assistant Resident District Commissioner Richard Okello [centre] hands over a package donated by Redeem International to Krispus Adula after he was officially restored to his land in Ogur Sub-county on September 15, 2026. PHOTO/COURTESY.

Michael Odongo, LC3 chairman of Ogur Sub-county, urged families to follow the law when distributing property left behind by deceased relatives.

Oyugi, for his part, said he no longer holds a grudge against his cousins and attributed his actions to being misled by “the devil”.

Jane Acola of Redeem International’s Lira Field Office said the case reflected a wider challenge facing widows and orphans in northern Uganda, where many households depend on land for their livelihoods.

“The majority of our people in northern Uganda derive their livelihood mainly from agriculture, but for production to take place there must be land. When there is a land conflict, you cannot do anything,” she said.

Source: monitor.co.ug

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After weeks behind bars, six anti-oil activists have been granted cash bail by the LDC Court.

Published

2 days ago

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September 17, 2026

By

By the Witness Radio team.

After more than two weeks in detention, six young activists challenging Uganda’s oil projects have secured cash bail, facing unlawful assembly charges.

All six belong to the Rooted in Resistance movement. On Thursday, September 17, they appeared before the LDC Magistrate’s Court in Kampala, where the court granted each cash bail of Shs300,000.

The activists granted bail are Isaac Mukiibi, Alphat Mawanda, Nicholas Mugezi, Innocent Opio, John Friday and Ronald Onyango.

Rooted in Resistance, formerly known as Students Against EACOP, has emerged as a steadfast force challenging the spread of fossil fuels in Uganda.

The activists were held in Luzira Maximum Security Prison after being arrested during demonstrations in Kampala against Uganda’s ongoing fossil fuel projects.

The activists were charged with unlawful assembly under the Penal Code Act.

Section 65(1) of the Act defines an unlawful assembly as a gathering of three or more people who intend to commit an offense, behave in a way that creates reasonable fear, or gather without a legitimate reason in circumstances likely to provoke others to breach the peace.

Under Section 66, taking part in an unlawful assembly is a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.

On August 31, 2026, police arrested the six during Kampala demonstrations, as Rooted in Resistance rallied against Uganda’s oil development.

Determined to be heard, the activists tried to deliver petitions to Parliament and TotalEnergies offices in Kampala, urging closer examination of oil projects and rejecting further fossil fuel investment.

During the demonstrations, police detained a total of 16 activists.

Police arrested ten at Parliament and charged them with public nuisance, while arresting six more at RR Pearl Tower One on Yusuf Lule Road, where TotalEnergies’ offices are located.

The six soon appeared before the LDC Magistrate’s Court, where they were remanded to Luzira Prison.

The activists say their resistance stems from concerns about the environmental and social fallout of oil development, especially its impact on communities, livelihoods, and the natural world.

They are urging a shift toward investing in renewable energy, rather than pouring more resources into fossil fuel infrastructure.

After the court granted bail, Rooted in Resistance celebrated the release of its members but condemned what it sees as ongoing attempts to silence their movement through arrests and charges.

“We will never be intimidated by the continued trumped-up charges and the brutal arrests being subjected to us,” the group said in a statement following the release on its X handle.

The group pledged to keep rallying for an oil-free economy and what it calls true economic freedom.

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