At least 126 land and environmental defenders have been slain or gone missing in Africa since 2012, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) being responsible for almost two-thirds of these cases, according to a new Global Witness report titled Roots of Resistance, which was released on Wednesday.
The report, which was released on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, emphasized the continued risks that defenders throughout the continent face when they battle exploitation and defend natural resources.
Averaging three occurrences per week, the number of defenders dead or missing worldwide decreased from 196 in 2023 to 146 in 2024. According to the report, there were nine recorded homicides in Africa last year: four in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, three in Liberia, one in Cameroon, and one in Madagascar.
With 78 occurrences since 2012, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the eighth-deadliest country in the world for defenders. All four DRC victims—two park rangers fighting mining and poaching, and two others chasing elephants—were defending Upemba National Park in 2024 when they were abducted and subsequently discovered murdered.
Significant cases have also been reported in Kenya (6), Liberia (6), South Africa (6), Chad (5), and Uganda (5), among other African nations since 2012. Global Witness points out that because of difficulties in gathering statistics, limited civic space, and a lack of awareness of environmental and land rights, these numbers probably underestimate the actual scope of violence.
Global Witness Senior Advisor Laura Furones stated: “These alarming numbers are probably a huge underestimation. Many defenders are too afraid to speak up since civic space is severely suppressed. On the contrary, underreporting of attacks in Africa does not imply that the continent is less dangerous.
In addition to murders, defenders deal with threats, violence, and criminalization. Indigenous activists in Nigeria’s Ekuri community, which was once a model for community-led conservation, are now being attacked for opposing corporate expansion and illicit logging.
Ekuri Initiative Chairman Martins Egot highlighted the importance of community-led conservation at the Renevlyn Development Initiative-hosted report’s Nigeria launch in Lagos, saying, “When communities like ours are empowered, they become the most effective guardians of the environment.”
In a another example, Odey Oyama, a Nigerian environmental defender, was arrested in January 2025 by more than 40 masked police officials and accused of encouraging intercommunal conflict, a crime that carries a life sentence.
“My arrest was a blatant attempt to silence me for opposing corporate logging and corruption,” stated Oyama, Executive Director of the Rainforest Resource Development Center. It’s dangerous to defend our environment because you could be killed.
Abuse associated with the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) in Tanzania and Uganda is also highlighted in the report; between December 2023 and August 2024, at least 96 pipeline opponents were arrested or detained.
Global Witness demanded responsibility for individuals who enable environmental degradation and increased international support for defenders.
