Data trends from the African Environmental Defenders Fund

Between 2022 and 2024, the African Environmental Defenders Initiative documented 232 non-lethal attacks against environmental defenders, with 67% occurring in East Africa. Uganda was the most affected country, accounting for 42% of cases, largely driven by opposition to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). The report identifies government (34%) and multinational/investment companies (20%) as the primary perpetrators. Women defenders face specific gendered threats, including the withholding of sanitary products during detention and social stigmatization. The document also details country-specific conflicts, such as conservation-linked violence in Kenya, industrial mining in the DRC, and illegal logging in Madagascar, while highlighting the role of the African Environmental Defenders Fund in providing emergency legal and psychosocial support.

• From 2022 to 2024, the African Environmental Defenders Initiative documented 232 non-lethal attacks against environmental defenders, averaging 57 attacks per year.
• East Africa is the most affected region, accounting for 67% of reported non-lethal incidents. Uganda had the highest number of attacks at 42%, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo (15%), Kenya (14%), and Tanzania (12%).
• The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) is a primary driver of conflict in Uganda and Tanzania. In 2024, 134 defenders were arrested, with 93% of those being activists in Uganda protesting EACOP.
• Government entities and multinational or investment companies from extractive and production industries are the leading perpetrators of threats, together accounting for 64% of cases (34% and 20% respectively).
• Women defenders face distinct gender-based violence and systemic judicial punishment; approximately 65% of threats against them take the form of legal reprisals.
• In Kenya, conflicts are driven by the LAPPSET project, land acquisition for carbon offset projects, and conservation-linked violence, including the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) case where a court ordered the closure of two conservancies for violating community land rights.
• In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, threats are linked to industrial mining of copper and cobalt and biodiversity protection zones, while in Madagascar, illegal logging and biodiversity protection are central conflicts.
• In Senegal, a gas leak in early 2025 at the Grand Tortue Ahmeyim project, operated by BP and partners, raised environmental concerns regarding deep-water coral reefs and marine biodiversity.

APA

Natural Justice (n.d.). Data trends from the African Environmental Defenders Fund. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Trends-Report-African-Environmental-Defenders-Fund-3.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. Data trends from the African Environmental Defenders Fund. n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Trends-Report-African-Environmental-Defenders-Fund-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=Data trends from the African Environmental Defenders Fund |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Trends-Report-African-Environmental-Defenders-Fund-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljusticenddata, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{Data trends from the African Environmental Defenders Fund}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Trends-Report-African-Environmental-Defenders-Fund-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }