Ethiopia has been the focus of aggressive foreign agricultural investment, leasing out nearly 3.6 million hectares of land for commercial farm ventures from 2008-2010. This investment has corresponded with widespread human rights violations. Most egregiously, the Ethiopian government's villagization program will displace 1.5 million people by 2013--with the five administrative regions that have the largest share of foreign investment the hardest hit. The forced relocation of hundreds of thousands of indigenous people from their lands to make room for foreign investors has destroyed livelihoods and rendered small-scale farmers and pastoralist communities fearful of their own survival, as rapes and killings involving security forces have been reported in Lower Omo and Gambela regions.

Omo: Local Tribes Under Threat

The Lower Omo Valley in Southern Ethiopia is internationally renowned for its unique cultural and ecological landscape. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Lower Omo Valley contains two national parks and is home to approximately 200,000 agro-pastoralists made up of some of Africa's most unique and traditional ethnic groups, including the Kwegu, Bodi, Suri, Mursi, Nyangatom, Hamer, Karo, and Dassenach, among others. Historically, the area has been very isolated, and the agro-pastoralists have little experience with industrial agriculture. While livelihoods differ along the length of the Omo Valley and between ethnic groups, the majority are agro-pastoralists who practice flood-retreat agriculture on the banks of the Omo River and also raise cattle where the annual flooding of the Omo River replenishes important grazing areas. For many of these ethnic groups, cattle are a source of pride, wealth, and food, and are intimately tied to cultural identity. The annual flooding of the Omo River dictates the rhythms of life and culture that permeate the area. But with the announcement of the Gibe III dam, the livelihoods and culture of the indigenous people of the South Omo Valley face decimation.

"Unheard Voices" Speak Out: Indigenous Ethiopians Demand a Stop to Human Rights Abuses Stemming from Agricultural Investment Policies

Press Release

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. To make way for agricultural investment, and through its so-called villagization program, the Ethiopian government has forcibly displaced hundreds of thousands of indigenous people from their lands. This relocation process has destroyed livelihoods. It has rendered small-scale farmers and pastoralist communities dependent on food aid and fearful for their own survival. Ethiopian officials have also beaten, arrested, and intimidated individuals who have refused to comply with relocation policies. These actions are in direct contravention of Ethiopia's obligations under international human rights law.

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 large-scale land investors.

Learn more about land grabs in Ethiopia