Uganda Forest-Protest Crisis: International Rivers Calls for Release of Arrested Civil Society Leaders

A Uganda protest to denounce government plans to raze a protected forest ended in violence and the arrest of civil society leaders yesterday. Organizers of the march say they believe that police actions incited the violence, and that the arrests were politically motivated. Protest organizers stated their commitment to nonviolence, and quickly denounced the bloodshed and violence.

Frank Muramuzi, who heads the Save Mabira Crusade, stated in a press release: "We condemn in the strongest terms possible acts of hooliganism, vandalism, crime and disregard of respect of the sanctity of life and safety of property. We believe the Police reneged on their mandate to provide full security … and provoked and incited the public into acts of violence."

International Rivers supports the efforts of the Save Mabira Crusade, and denounced the violence. International Rivers's Africa program director Lori Pottinger said: "We call on the Government of Uganda to release peaceful activists associated with the protest."

As of this writing, police had called for Muramuzi’s arrest. Four other leaders of the march were arrested on Friday, including two members of the Ugandan Parliament. Muramuzi is Director of the main Ugandan NGO opposing the Bujagali Dam project, the National Association of Professional Environmentalists, and the Chair of the African Rivers Network.

There is a danger of further violence over the weekend. The dispute over the Mabira forest centers on the government’s plan to raze the forest to make way for a sugar plantation, which is widely opposed by local communities. Sources in Uganda assert that the communities surrounding the forest are ready for more demonstrations, and they warn that soldiers are now stationed in the forests nearby.

Muramuzi released the following statement: "We are not enemies of development or progress. We are barometers that want to see humanity at the centre of development in our country. The Police action of arresting and charging the leaders of Save Mabira Crusade is a diversionary act of intimidation. We shall never waiver from this noble cause."

Background

In March, the Ugandan government approved a controversial plan to cut down over 7,000 acres of the Mabira Forest, the country's largest forest and ecological reserve, to pave the way for a sugar plantation. The forest is also expected to house a section of the transmission system for the proposed Bujagali Dam project.

Yesterday’s protest – which included an estimated 1,000 people marching from Parliament, where a petition had been presented, through the streets of Kampala – turned violent after a clash broke out between protestors and police. The protest organizers had a permit for the march, and were expecting police assistance with traffic control and security.

"People were demonstrating peacefully when there was a misunderstanding with the police. All of a sudden they opened fire," environmental activist Frank Muramuzi told Reuters news agency.

Environmentalists say the move to cut down the Mabira Forest -- just the latest in government giveaways of protected areas in Uganda -- will have devastating environmental impacts. The forest is host to a variety of animals including endangered monkey species as well as 300 bird species, and is a critical part of the watershed for Lake Victoria. Activists believe the change from forest to sugar plantation will reduce water flows of Lake Victoria, which is already at a historically low level.

According to local media, donor organisations including the European Union issued strong protests last year soon after President Yoweri Museveni proposed cutting down of the forest for the plantation.