Our work in Central Africa
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Countries and territories in the region
Click on a country or territory to read about the minorities and indigenous peoples it hosts in our World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples.
Our programmes in the region
Furthest Behind First (FBF) - Duration: 1 October 2021 - 30 September 2024 Countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe Community: Turkana, Endorois, Ogiek, Awer, Batwa, Benet, Maasai, Hadzabe,… …Our archive
All news and updates
- « Protéger » 30% des terres d’ici 2030 : un désastre pour les peuples et une mauvaise idée pour la planète (1 December 2022)
- Target to ‘protect’ 30% of earth by 2030 – a disaster for people and bad for the planet (1 December 2022)
- DRC : La nouvelle loi protégeant les peuples autochtones doit être appliquée (5 October 2022)
- One step closer: indigenous peoples’ rights in the DRC (2 August 2022)
- MRG: The rhetoric of ‘green transitions’ cannot be used to push ever more deeply into indigenous territories (24 June 2022)
- Minority Rights Group exhorte la RDC à mettre fin à l’impunité des responsables de violences contre les filles et femmes autochtones (22 June 2022)
- Atteintes aux droits de l’homme dans le PNKB : les conclusions soi-disant « indépendantes » de l’enquête de l’ICCN ne peuvent être prises au pied de la lettre (7 June 2022)
- Human Rights Abuses in PNKB: So-called ‘independent’ findings of ICCN Investigation cannot be taken at face value (7 June 2022)
- Land Body Ecologies: Understanding the Traumas of Fortress Conservation (13 May 2022)
- Recommendations to African states on indigenous and minority issues (28 April 2022)
- Deutsche und US-finanzierte Parkwächter:innen ermorden und vergewaltigen Mitglieder einer indigenen Gemeinschaft im Nationalpark der Demokratischen Republik Kongo, wie eine Untersuchung zeigt (6 April 2022)
- German and US funded park guards murder and rape indigenous community members living in DRC national park, investigation reveals (6 April 2022)
- Un rapport d’enquête révèle que des gardes du parc national de PNKB, financés par l’Allemagne et les États-Unis, ont violé et assassiné des membres de la communauté autochtone batwa (6 April 2022)
- MRG appelle la RDC à assurer la protection des droits des peuples Batwa (29 March 2022)
- Early warning mechanisms key to calming ethnic tensions (7 December 2021)
- Menace imminente pour la forêt du bassin du Congo par la levée du moratoire de la RDC sur les nouvelles concessions forestières (23 September 2021)
- Imminent threat to the Congo Basin rainforest from the lifting of the DRC moratorium on new logging concessions (23 September 2021)
- Indigenous paralegals and the fight for climate justice (17 September 2021)
- EVENT: The protection of human rights of ethnic minorities and Conflict Prevention using Early Warning Mechanism (17 September 2021)
- ‘Network for Peace’ project improves lives of minority communities (25 August 2021)
- Status of peace and justice for indigenous peoples of East Africa: our recommendations (25 April 2021)
- Indigenous peoples must be at the forefront when it comes to redressing violations of their rights (20 April 2021)
- Aires protégées en République Démocratique du Congo : un système défaillant (25 January 2021)
- Statement: Protected areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo – a broken system (25 January 2021)
- Quiet returns: Reporting from the places where migrants come back (14 January 2021)
- Les autorités françaises arrêtent Roger Lumbala, ancien chef de milice, pour crimes contre l’humanité en RDC (4 January 2021)
- French authorities arrest Roger Lumbala, former militia leader, for crimes against humanity in the DRC (4 January 2021)
- HRC45 – MRG welcomes the new Special Rapporteur on indigenous peoples and highlights the growing problem of “fortress conservation” projects violating indigenous peoples’ rights (24 September 2020)
- HRC44 – MRG’s participation in the UN panel on digital technologies and human rights (8 July 2020)
- Overlooked no more: A Victory for the Indigenous Batwa of the Democratic Republic of Congo (16 June 2020)
- COVID-19 and Community Ownership in Cameroon (2 June 2020)
- Declaration of Solidarity with Indigenous Batwa Prisoners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (13 May 2020)
- EPU – La RDC doit passer des engagements aux actes pour garantir les droits traditionnels des peuples autochtones (20 September 2019)
- DRC: The admissibility decision of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on a case involving the eviction of indigenous people from their ancestral lands represents a beacon of hope (2 July 2019)
- MRG, Environnement Ressources Naturelles et Développment, and Rainforest Foundation Norway strongly condemn killing of a Batwa man and park guard in DRC national park and demand a prompt investigation (3 May 2019)
- A reflection of Israel’s stance on African asylum seekers and migrants (17 April 2019)
- Bambuti and Batwa in the shadows of DRC’s flawed election (13 February 2019)
- UPR of the DRC – MRG and ERND’s submission (4 October 2018)
- HRC39 – MRG calls for the HRC’s attention to the crisis in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon (18 September 2018)
- HRC38 – SR on racism: MRG’s statement on racial and ethnic discrimination as a root cause of statelessness (2 July 2018)
- As death toll rises in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, MRG condemns violence, calls for impartial investigation into killings and long-term solutions to ongoing crisis (4 October 2017)
- HRC36 – MRG calls for the Counsil’s attention to the situations of minorities in Iraq, Egypt and Cameroon (19 September 2017)
- MRG wholeheartedly condemns killing and injuring of indigenous forest people by guards in DRC national park, demands prompt investigation and urges authorities to uphold law (30 August 2017)
- Peoples under Threat 2017: Killings in the no-access zone (19 July 2017)
- With recent CAR truce hanging in the balance, MRG urges quick action by government and international community to ensure stability (21 June 2017)
- Strengthening the voice of marginalized minorities in East and Central Africa (24 April 2017)
- Democratic Republic of Congo: Protecting Batwa land rights (15 November 2016)
- Burundi: Gitega High Court decision a victory for Batwa land rights, says MRG (18 October 2016)
- DRC government must take steps to end ethnic violence in North Kivu, says MRG (31 August 2016)
- From West Cameroon Statehood to Anglophone Cameroon Minorityhood (23 March 2016)
- Bemba guilty verdict upholds doctrine of command responsibility (21 March 2016)
- Burundi at tipping point, government and international community must do more to prevent escalation of conflict, warns MRG (22 January 2016)
- CAR electoral process must be free, fair and inclusive in order to prevent further conflict – new Minority Rights Group report (8 December 2015)
- Threat to populations in the Middle East still greatest from government forces, despite ISIS (31 July 2015)
- African countries dominate global ranking of communities facing greatest risk of mass killings (28 April 2014)
- The silent killings (10 April 2013)
- For many indigenous and minority communities, ‘development’ brings only destruction – new global report (28 June 2012)
- Scramble for natural resources in East and Horn of Africa threatens minorities and indigenous peoples and fuels conflict – new global report (28 June 2012)
- DRC: Justice urged for murder of human rights defender (30 July 2010)
- High rates of violence against women from Africa’s indigenous Batwa community – new research (13 May 2010)
- Cameroon questioned over minority torture case acquittal (30 March 2005)
- Congo’s Pygmies ‘targeted for extermination’: International Criminal Court to consider allegations against Vice President (6 July 2004)
- Minorities at risk if Congo’s fragile peace is allowed to fail (10 June 2004)
- MRG adds international dimension to Cameroon Mbororo rights case (15 April 2004)
- Grave concern over plight of Twa pygmies in Eastern Congo (16 January 2003)
All publications
- DRC: For Batwa in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, ‘fortress conservation’ has robbed communities of land and traditional livelihoods (2022)
- Fortress Conservation and International Accountability for Human Rights Violations against Batwa in Kahuzi-Biega National Park (2022)
- To Purge the Forest by Force: Organized violence against Batwa in Kahuzi-Biega National Park (2022)
- Cameroon: Confronting environmental injustice and illegal logging in the rainforest through indigenous-led technology (2020)
- Democratic Republic of Congo: As global demand for cobalt soars, child miners pay the price (2020)
- Chad: As deserts spread south, pastoralists face scarcity and drought (2019)
- Central African Republic: The difficulties of return for the country’s conflict-displaced Muslims (2018)
- Central African Republic on the Eve of Elections: From Crisis to Reconciliation (2015)
- ‘Erasing the Board’: Report of the international research mission into crimes under international law committed against the Bambuti Pygmies in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (2004)
- Burundi: Prospects for Peace (2000)
- Burundi: Breaking the cycle of violence (1995)
- Chad (1988)
- Burundi since the genocide (1987)
- Jehovah’s Witnesses in Central Africa (1976)
- Selective Genocide in Burundi (1972)
- The San of the Kalahari (1970)
Our past programmes
- Networks for Peace: Preventing and resolving conflicts through early warning mechanisms in Africa (2021)
- Empowering indigenous land rights defenders to prevent climate change (2020)
- Deepening engagement: Achieving rights for Minorities and Indigenous Peoples in Africa (2020)
- Ireland Aid 3 (IA3) : Faire respecter les droits des minorités et des peuples indigènes dans le programme d’Afrique Centrale et de l’Est (2018)
- Ireland Aid 3 (IA3): Realising the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples in East and Central African Programme (2018)
- Promoting the Rights of the Batwa Pygmies (2015)
- Strengthening the capacity of minorities and indigenous peoples to advocate for implementation of international standards (2015)
- Gender-Based Discrimination / Violence Against Women (VAW) evaluation in Batwa communities of Burundi, DRC, Rwanda and Uganda, 2007- 2010 (2015)
- Enhancing Batwa Leadership in Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda (2010)
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Advocacy statements
- DRC : La nouvelle loi protégeant les peuples autochtones doit être appliquée
- MRG: The rhetoric of ‘green transitions’ cannot be used to push ever more deeply into indigenous territories
- Minority Rights Group exhorte la RDC à mettre fin à l’impunité des responsables de violences contre les filles et femmes autochtones
- Recommendations to African states on indigenous and minority issues
- MRG appelle la RDC à assurer la protection des droits des peuples Batwa
- Status of peace and justice for indigenous peoples of East Africa: our recommendations
- Indigenous peoples must be at the forefront when it comes to redressing violations of their rights
- HRC45 – MRG welcomes the new Special Rapporteur on indigenous peoples and highlights the growing problem of “fortress conservation” projects violating indigenous peoples’ rights
- HRC44 – MRG’s participation in the UN panel on digital technologies and human rights
- Declaration of Solidarity with Indigenous Batwa Prisoners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Events
- Land Body Ecologies: Understanding the Traumas of Fortress Conservation
- EVENT: The protection of human rights of ethnic minorities and Conflict Prevention using Early Warning Mechanism
Key legal cases
News and blogs
- One step closer: indigenous peoples’ rights in the DRC
- Indigenous paralegals and the fight for climate justice
- Quiet returns: Reporting from the places where migrants come back
- Overlooked no more: A Victory for the Indigenous Batwa of the Democratic Republic of Congo
- COVID-19 and Community Ownership in Cameroon
- A reflection of Israel’s stance on African asylum seekers and migrants
- Bambuti and Batwa in the shadows of DRC’s flawed election
- From West Cameroon Statehood to Anglophone Cameroon Minorityhood
- The silent killings
News from our projects
- Early warning mechanisms key to calming ethnic tensions
- ‘Network for Peace’ project improves lives of minority communities
- Strengthening the voice of marginalized minorities in East and Central Africa
Press releases
- Deutsche und US-finanzierte Parkwächter:innen ermorden und vergewaltigen Mitglieder einer indigenen Gemeinschaft im Nationalpark der Demokratischen Republik Kongo, wie eine Untersuchung zeigt
- German and US funded park guards murder and rape indigenous community members living in DRC national park, investigation reveals
- Un rapport d’enquête révèle que des gardes du parc national de PNKB, financés par l’Allemagne et les États-Unis, ont violé et assassiné des membres de la communauté autochtone batwa
- Les autorités françaises arrêtent Roger Lumbala, ancien chef de milice, pour crimes contre l’humanité en RDC
- French authorities arrest Roger Lumbala, former militia leader, for crimes against humanity in the DRC
- DRC: The admissibility decision of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on a case involving the eviction of indigenous people from their ancestral lands represents a beacon of hope
- MRG, Environnement Ressources Naturelles et Développment, and Rainforest Foundation Norway strongly condemn killing of a Batwa man and park guard in DRC national park and demand a prompt investigation
- As death toll rises in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, MRG condemns violence, calls for impartial investigation into killings and long-term solutions to ongoing crisis
- MRG wholeheartedly condemns killing and injuring of indigenous forest people by guards in DRC national park, demands prompt investigation and urges authorities to uphold law
- Peoples under Threat 2017: Killings in the no-access zone
Statements
- « Protéger » 30% des terres d’ici 2030 : un désastre pour les peuples et une mauvaise idée pour la planète
- Target to ‘protect’ 30% of earth by 2030 – a disaster for people and bad for the planet
- Atteintes aux droits de l’homme dans le PNKB : les conclusions soi-disant « indépendantes » de l’enquête de l’ICCN ne peuvent être prises au pied de la lettre
- Human Rights Abuses in PNKB: So-called ‘independent’ findings of ICCN Investigation cannot be taken at face value
- Menace imminente pour la forêt du bassin du Congo par la levée du moratoire de la RDC sur les nouvelles concessions forestières
- Imminent threat to the Congo Basin rainforest from the lifting of the DRC moratorium on new logging concessions
- Aires protégées en République Démocratique du Congo : un système défaillant
- Statement: Protected areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo – a broken system
What we do
- Furthest Behind First (FBF)
- Networks for Peace: Preventing and resolving conflicts through early warning mechanisms in Africa
- Empowering indigenous land rights defenders to prevent climate change
- Deepening engagement: Achieving rights for Minorities and Indigenous Peoples in Africa
- Ireland Aid 3 (IA3) : Faire respecter les droits des minorités et des peuples indigènes dans le programme d’Afrique Centrale et de l’Est
- Ireland Aid 3 (IA3): Realising the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples in East and Central African Programme
- Central and East Africa: Strengthening the Voice of Marginalised Minorities
- Promoting the Rights of the Batwa Pygmies
- Strengthening the capacity of minorities and indigenous peoples to advocate for implementation of international standards
- Gender-Based Discrimination / Violence Against Women (VAW) evaluation in Batwa communities of Burundi, DRC, Rwanda and Uganda, 2007- 2010
Publications
- Fortress Conservation and International Accountability for Human Rights Violations against Batwa in Kahuzi-Biega National Park
- To Purge the Forest by Force: Organized violence against Batwa in Kahuzi-Biega National Park
- Central African Republic on the Eve of Elections: From Crisis to Reconciliation
- ‘Erasing the Board’: Report of the international research mission into crimes under international law committed against the Bambuti Pygmies in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
- Burundi: Prospects for Peace
- Burundi: Breaking the cycle of violence
- Chad
- Burundi since the genocide
- Jehovah’s Witnesses in Central Africa
- Selective Genocide in Burundi
