Indigenous peoples of Africa are endangered - more than 140 indigenous peoples are suffering from climate change consequences

More than 140 indigenous peoples in Africa are seriously suffering from consequences of the climate change. This is what the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) in Göttingen pointed out on occasion of the World Climate Conference in Durban this Monday. "The catastrophic consequences of increasingly frequent droughts and floods are getting even worse, because the African governments are not consequently taking account of sustainability and the protection of biodiversity," warned the STP. The human rights organization urges the governments of developed countries and also the governments of Africa to rethink.

"Millions of African nomads are seriously endangered due to the climate change," reported the STP's Africa consultant, Ulrich Delius."Land grabbing, deforestation, dam projects and the reckless looting of raw materials are increasingly threatening the Turkana, Tuareg, Kara, Mursi and many other indigenous peoples of Africa."

During the last few weeks before the World Climate Summit, indigenous peoples in Africa have appealed to their governments to show more respect for their rights, which are often guaranteed by the state constitution. "If traditional grazing rights and land rights are violated, if the last forests in East Africa are cleared for agricultural investors from abroad and if rivers and lakes are affected by major projects, then this is a threat to the lives of millions of indigenous people."

According to the Society for Threatened peoples, it is especially the nomad pastoralists who are suffering from interference with their environment and its ecosystem. If Ethiopia builds more and more dams and continues to lease land to foreign agricultural companies - without regard to the protests of the local population - this will endanger hundreds of thousands of indigenous people in Kenya and Ethiopia. They are already massive problems because of the short-time intervals between extreme weather events - such as drought and floods - caused by climate changes. Thus, the pastoralists in many regions at the Horn of Africa suffered under a long-lasting drought until Summer 2011. Many of their cattle died. Since October 2011, there are now heavy rains and floods, with similarly serious consequences.