Botswana San turn to UN for support

A HUMAN rights organisation acting on behalf the Kalahari San, or Bushmen, in Botswana has submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Committee about what it called the “failure” of the Botswana government to implement a December 2006 court ruling.

The three judges ruled that the government should allow the Kalahari San to live and hunt in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). The Botswana Government evicted over 200 San people from their ancestral land in the CKGR a few years ago.The UN Committee was to meet on Monday to consider issues relating to Botswana’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, said the British-based organisation Survival International, which submitted the report last week.Since the December ruling, the Botswana government has refused to allow the Bushmen to hunt in the reserve.A group of 21 San men were recently arrested for hunting.It has also refused to allow the San to bring their small herds of goats into the Reserve, or to pump their own water.It has claimed that only some of the evicted Bushmen may return, and it has refused to assist with transport.According to Survival International, Botswana President Festus Mogae has visited many of the evicted San in an attempt to persuade them not to return to their land.Survival’s director Stephen Corry said: “In spite of the court ruling, the Botswana government still wants to keep the Bushmen off their ancestral lands.Only a few are allowed back without permits and even they cannot hunt, cannot get at their water, and cannot have their small herds of goats.In other words, they can go back so long as they don’t eat or drink.”The Botswana Government evicted over 200 San people from their ancestral land in the CKGR a few years ago.The UN Committee was to meet on Monday to consider issues relating to Botswana’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, said the British-based organisation Survival International, which submitted the report last week.Since the December ruling, the Botswana government has refused to allow the Bushmen to hunt in the reserve.A group of 21 San men were recently arrested for hunting.It has also refused to allow the San to bring their small herds of goats into the Reserve, or to pump their own water.It has claimed that only some of the evicted Bushmen may return, and it has refused to assist with transport.According to Survival International, Botswana President Festus Mogae has visited many of the evicted San in an attempt to persuade them not to return to their land.Survival’s director Stephen Corry said: “In spite of the court ruling, the Botswana government still wants to keep the Bushmen off their ancestral lands.Only a few are allowed back without permits and even they cannot hunt, cannot get at their water, and cannot have their small herds of goats.In other words, they can go back so long as they don’t eat or drink.”