By Abbas Nazil
At least 126 land and environmental defenders have been killed or disappeared across Africa since 2012, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) accounting for nearly two-thirds of the cases, according to a new report by Global Witness.
The report, titled Roots of Resistance, and released on September 17, 2025, places DRC as the deadliest country in Africa for defenders, and eighth globally.
Other affected countries include Kenya with six cases, Liberia with six, South Africa with six, Chad with five, and Uganda with five.
Globally, 146 cases were documented in 2024, down from 196 in 2023.
This means, on average, three defenders are killed or go missing every week.
Speaking at the Nigeria launch of the report, hosted by the Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Global Witness Senior Advisor, Laura Furones, said the figures are likely underestimates due to challenges in evidence gathering.
She stressed that repression of civic space across Africa discourages many defenders from speaking out, making the risks even higher.
RDI’s Executive Director, Philip Jakpor, said the report breaks the usual pattern of global reports that under-represent Africa.
He urged African land and environmental defenders to speak up against injustices by state-backed corporate interests.
The report recorded nine killings in Africa in 2024: four in the DRC, three in Liberia, one in Cameroon, and one in Madagascar.
Among those killed in DRC were rangers and conservationists protecting Upemba National Park from poaching and mining.
In Nigeria, the Ekuri community in Cross River State was highlighted as being on the frontline of forest defense.
Activists there have faced intimidation, threats, and arrests, including the January 2025 detention of Odey Oyama, Executive Director of the Rainforest Resource Development Centre, who was charged with promoting inter-communal war.
Oyama described his arrest as an attempt to silence opposition to illegal logging, warning that defending the environment is a life-threatening task.
Community leaders such as Martins Egot of the Ekuri Initiative also called for stronger international support, stressing that empowered local communities remain the most effective guardians of forests and ecosystems.
