Kenya’s Samburu people “violently” evicted after US charities buy land
January 4Around 2,000 Samburu families have stayed squatting on edge of disputed territory, says NGO Survival International. Members of the Samburu people in Kenya have been abused, beaten and raped by police after the land they lived on for two decades was sold to two US-based wildlife charities, a rights group and community leader have alleged.
With nowhere to go, around 2,000 Samburu families stayed on the edge of the disputed territory, living in makeshift squats, while 1,000 others were forced to relocate, Survival said.
The London-based NGO Survival International said the Samburu were evicted following the purchase of the land by two American-based charities, the Nature Conservancy and the African Wildlife Foundation. [more]
Photos :
#1 : The Samburu can be found on the semi-arid northern plains of Kenya. (Federica Miglio/Survival International)
#2 : The word ‘Samburu’ means ‘butterfly’ in the language of Masai. They are so named for their striking traditional clothes, colorful beaded necklaces, earrings and bracelets. (Zhao Yingquan/Xinhua)