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Botswana: Botswana's President Promises to Restore Bushmen Rights After Years-Long Delay in Burial
VOA, 11 December 2024
Botswana's new president has promised to restore some rights, which were taken away from the Bushmen, an indigenous tribe of hunters and gatherers found across southern Africa. Read more »
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Botswana: Hunters Not Poachers - Botswana Bushmen to Sue Government Over Hunting Ban
Survival International, 26 August 2014
Bushmen hunt for their survival, but are treated like poachers on their land. #HuntersNotPoachers Read more »
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Botswana: International Condemnation of Govt Over Indigenous San
Survival International, 10 October 2013
The Botswana government has been subject to fierce criticism over its persecution of the Kalahari Bushmen. The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC), the United… Read more »
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Botswana: San Cleared of Poaching, Says NGO
Survival International, 1 August 2014
Four Bushmen accused of poaching on their ancestral land have escaped up to five years in jail after a Botswana court threw out their case last week. Read more »
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Botswana: Will Botswana Government's U-Turn On Bushmen Last?
Survival International, 31 January 2016
The Botswana government has promised to restore some of the essential services to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve that it cut on this day 14 years ago. Read more »
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Botswana: President in Racist Outburst Against Kalahari Bushmen
Survival International, 13 December 2010
In an astonishing outburst, Botswana’s president has today described the Kalahari Bushmen as ‘primeval’, ‘primitive’ and ‘backward’. Read more »
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Botswana: San 'Determined' as Legal Battle Over Water Approaches Climax 13 January
Survival International, 13 January 2011
On January 17th, Botswana's Court of Appeal will begin a hearing to decide whether Kalahari Bushmen living on their ancestral lands have the right to water. Read more »
Botswana President Promises to Restore Bushmen Rights
The president's announcement came in the same week as the Botswana government allowed the Bushmen to bury Pitseng Gaoberekwe who died in December 2021 on the group's ancestral land, ending a drawn-out impasse. The courts had barred the family from burying Gaoberekwe in his ancestral home in the vast and arid Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), from which most of his relatives were forcibly removed to protect the wildlife zone.
International tribal rights advocacy group Survival International had argued the Bushmen were pushed out of the game reserve because of diamonds in the area. The previous government denied those allegations, saying it wanted the Bushmen to move closer to modern amenities and life.
Before Gaoberekwe's burial Tuesday, President Duma Boko, who took power six weeks ago, promised to restore the Bushmen's rights, including allowing them to resume hunting wild animals.
InFocus
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A U.S.$4.9 billion diamond mine will open on land previously reserved for the indigenous San people in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve despite government claims that there were ... Read more »
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An attorney who was to represent the indigenous San people at a High Court hearing about the tribe's access to their ancestral land has been prevented from entering the country. Read more »
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The indigenous San people have won a court case against the government following Botswana's intention to evict them from what it termed a 'wildlife corridor' . Read more »
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The San people face continued attacks from the authorities as the government seeks to drive them from the Kalahari desert into resettlement camps. Read more »
In 2011, Botswana's Court of Appeal ruled that the Kalahari Bushmen could use a vital well and drill new wells on their ancestral lands in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). The Bushmen had been fighting to return to their ancestral hunting grounds since 1997, and the ruling was a victory because they'd been forced to travel hundreds of km by foot or donkey to fetch water from outside the reserve. The Bushmen's legal battle focused on a single well that was used by De Beers, the world's largest diamond producer when it was prospecting for minerals in 1985.
