A peaceful gathering to protest the destruction of the Mabira forest in Uganda in April ended in violence and intimidation. Three people died as police fired live bullets into the crowd, many were injured, and the leaders of the Save Mabira Crusade and the National Association of Professional Environmentalists—a longtime Greengrants grantee—were arrested. This was despite having received official permission for the demonstration. Organizers were protesting the Ugandan government’s plan to convert the magnificent Mabira Forest Reserve into a sugarcane plantation. As a result of the increased press attention from the protest, as well as local organizing, the government is slowly moving away from exploiting this valuable forest.
To read a press release on the protest from Save Mabira Crusade, click here. To sign a petition for the protection of the Mabira Forest, click here.
Uganda has long been facing a deforestation crisis, as noted in a recent report. Only 40 years ago natural forests covered over 40 percent of the country. Recent studies indicate that forest cover is now reduced to 20 percent and in the past 15 years Ugandan deforestation rates have accelerated to 2.2 percent per year, making them one of the highest in the world.
One of the major causes of this deforestation is clearing forests for large sugarcane plantations, as is the case for the Mabira Forest Reserve. This is not the first time that the government is giving away forests for corporate-controlled development. In another similar case in Uganda, the Butamira Forest Reserve was mowed down to make way for sugar plantations, decimating local livelihoods. Government intimidation prevented many from voicing dissent; hundreds were kicked off of their lands. Greengrants provided a grant to the only community-based group advocating for the rights of the locals, the Butamira Environmental Pressure Group, for workshops on environmental rights, advocacy training and the establishment of a tree nursery. However, in the end and despite a court case win, the Reserve was sold off in its entirety to Kakira Sugar Works.
In order to prevent the same fate for the Mabira Forest Reserve, activists and organizers have been shifting into high gear to protest the government’s plans to donate the reserve to a sugar cane corporation—a give-away of monumental proportions. The April 12 protest brought together environmentalists, religious leaders, business leaders, educators, and the public at large, as well as several Members of Parliament (MP). More than 1,000 people marched to bring attention to the plight of the forest.
Environmentalists say the government’s plan threatens the existence of rare species of trees and birds in the 30,000 hectare forest.
Organized by Greengrants grantee NAPE (who we have funded primarily around their work to prevent the World Bank-funded Bujagali hydropower project by Lake Victoria) the protest proceeded peacefully until police opened fire into the crowd. Violence ensued as protestors retaliated.
More than 20 people were arrested at the protest, including Frank Muramuzi, head of NAPE, and two Members of Parliament. Several of those arrested have since been released pending the hearings, while others remain incarcerated. Allegations of torture have been made by several prisoners. To read more about the protest from the BBC, click here and here.
On May 15, those charged with participating in this unlawful riot were set to stand at a hearing. However, due to police blockades of the courtroom, preventing public access, as well as disorganization on the part of the court, the hearings have been postponed to July 26.
Global Greengrants made a grant this week to NAPE and Save Mabira Crusade for $5,000 to assist with the high legal costs of defense. Updates on the results of the hearing will be posted on our website.
Despite the violence, as a result of NAPE and Save Mabira Crusade’s campaign, the government has changed its position and is steadily moving away from giving away the Mabira Forest Reserve for a sugar cane plantation. The government has initiated a technical committee to research the project in more detail and gather public opinion, the findings of which will be presented to the parliament. Cabinet ministers, MPs, and the public have rallied behind the cause and extended their support for saving the Mabira, despite President Yoweri Museveni’s statement in favor of sugar cane development. NAPE, along with several other civil society organizations, is continuing with education efforts to inform people of the devastating economic and ecological consequences of destroying this valuable forest.
The case of the Mabira Forest Reserve is not only about saving a forest—it is also about development accountability and is related to a proposed hydropower project nearby. NAPE’s Muramuzi notes that “Preservation of Mabira Forest was put as a pre-condition by the World Bank for approval of the Bujagali hydropower project. Therefore, the government is caught in a give-away and abandon situation.” In other words, the government wanted to both dam the river and cut down the forest—despite a specific stipulation made by the World Band in funding the Bujagali project. The pressures for economic and resource development are immense in Uganda, and project approval often come at the cost of local oversight and public voice in decision-making.