África Subsaariana

400 families forcibly evicted in Kenya

Published in Friday May 17th, 2013 In Social movement news

Some 400 Kenyan families were forcibly evicted on 10 May from an informal settlement in the capital, Nairobi. They are homeless and in urgent need of food, water and shelter. Police, who were providing security for the eviction, used live ammunition and teargas.

Floods in Bukoba, Tanzania, Kill Two and Displace 300 Families

Published in Friday May 10th, 2013 In In the media

Flooding in Bukoba, the capital of Tanzania’s Kagera region, has killed two people and displaced more than 300 families after several of their homes were destroyed, Tanzania’s Daily News reported Wednesday.

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Angola’s poor people hit hard by urbanisation crackdown in Luanda

Published in Friday May 10th, 2013 In In the media

The Angolan government says it is waging “a sustained war against chaotic urbanisation”, but this appears to have become a war against poor people. The most extreme examples are in Luanda, a city bursting at the seams. Around half a million people lived in Angola’s capital in 1975, when the Portuguese moved out. Now, with many forced into the city to escape the country’s 27-year civil war, 5 million jostle for space, of whom three-quarters live in informal settlements with little or no documentation or land tenure.

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Post flood reconstruction in Mozambique could cost 517 million dollars

Published in Wednesday May 8th, 2013 In In the media

According to the Minister of Planning and Development, of this amount about 353 million dollars will be for reconstruction in the public sector and 164 million dollars in the private sector. Flooding in January and February affected over 478,000 people and resulted in 117 deaths. In addition, more than 172,000 people were made homeless.

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City finally obeys court

Published in Friday May 3rd, 2013 In In the media

More than 100 residents of a block of flats who were embroiled in a bitter legal battle with the city of Johannesburg have moved into alternative accommodation. Yesterday the last residents of 7 Saratoga Avenue in Berea were moved to BVM, a property owned by the Johannesburg Social Housing Company, and the Ekuthuleni shelter.

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Special Rapporteur sends 19 communications during the second semester of 2012

Published in Tuesday April 30th, 2013 In Dialogue with countries

Check the communications sent by the Special Rapporteurs, as well as the answers received from the Member States, referring to the second half of 2012.

Heavy Rains Displace Hundreds in Jowhar, Somalia

Published in Monday April 29th, 2013 In In the media

Torrential rains battered Jowhar for more than 20 hours, flooding villages and displacing more than 200 families, Somalia’s RBC Radio reported. The rains started early Friday, causing residents of Badda As village to flee their homes.

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Floods Havoc Hits Murang’a Kiambu Counties in Kenya

Published in Friday April 26th, 2013 In In the media

Over 10,000 families have been rendered homeless by floods in Central region, Kenya Red Cross officials have said. Red Cross official in-charge of Central and upper Eastern region Gerard Bombe said the most affected parts are Murang’a, Nyeri and Kiambu counties. He said over 2,000 acres under maize, bananas and beans plantation have also been destroyed by the floods.

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Mwingi Villagers Protest Court’s Eviction Order in Kenya

Published in Thursday April 25th, 2013 In In the media

More than 100 residents of Kawala in Mumoni district on Monday staged a sit in at the Mwingi law court premises protesting an order issued by the court to evict some of them. The group, that included uniformed school children, brought with them a memorandum addressed to Chief Justice Willy Mutunga.

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Unheard Voices: The Human Rights Impact of Land Investments on Indigenous Communitties in Gambella, Ethiopia

Published in Wednesday April 24th, 2013

Millions of acres of Ethiopia’s most fertile land are being made available to investors, often in long-term leases and at giveaway prices. Although proponents of these investments call them “win-win” deals, the reality proves much different. This briefing paper provides an overview of the human rights impacts of land investment and the villagization process on the indigenous Anuak community in Ethiopia’s Gambella region. The struggle of the Anuak in Gambella is emblematic of the struggles of other communities in Ethiopia that are being forcibly displaced to make way for largescale land investors.

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