Maria Andrea Nardi
Senior Lecturer
Dans le Nord de l'Ouganda, les écologistes s'efforcent de préserver le rôle de la nature dans la construction de la paix
Author
Summary, in English
Ces dernières années en Ouganda, les écologistes ont fait l'objet de répressions partout dans le pays. Pour sauvegarder la nature, des journalistes, des étudiants, ainsi que des agriculteurs et des habitants de zones rurales, protestent et se mobilisent contre les injustices et les déplacements forcés causés aussi bien par les infrastructures utilisant des énergies fossiles que par l’agro-industrie, l’électricité hydraulique ou la compensation carbone. Dès lors, cette situation oppose à la fois les autorités et les intérêts des grands groupes capitalistes aux écologistes. Ces derniers cherchent à protéger les espaces naturels des sociétés à but lucratif, qui étendent les périmètres d'extraction des ressources à de nouvelles zones. Dans ce contexte, et 15 ans après la fin du conflit armé dans le Nord de l'Ouganda [fr], une paix durable est-elle envisageable dans cette région du pays?
In recent years, there has been a ‘crackdown’ against environmental defenders across Uganda. Journalists, students, farmers, and rural dwellers are defending the natural environment, protesting and mobilizing against unfair treatment and forced displacements brought by fossil fuel infrastructures, agribusiness, hydropower, or carbon offsetting. This has pitted authorities and large-scale capital against environmental defenders who are seeking to protect the natural environment against profit-driven corporations that seek to expand the resource extraction frontier into new geographical areas. In this context, and fifteen years after the end of the armed conflict in Northern Uganda, we question whether peace can be sustainable in this region of the country.
To fully comprehend current disputes over land or the defence of the natural environment, it is necessary to observe how nature is integrated into peacebuilding and development policies. This is because there is often a narrow understanding on how local communities integrate the natural environment in their everyday life. Three issues stand out in relation to the contributions nature can make to foster sustainable peace and development in Northern Uganda beyond its role in income generation by resource exploitation. The natural environment is relevant for peace because it works as a (a) semiotic system, (b) public space, and (c) reconciliation means.
In recent years, there has been a ‘crackdown’ against environmental defenders across Uganda. Journalists, students, farmers, and rural dwellers are defending the natural environment, protesting and mobilizing against unfair treatment and forced displacements brought by fossil fuel infrastructures, agribusiness, hydropower, or carbon offsetting. This has pitted authorities and large-scale capital against environmental defenders who are seeking to protect the natural environment against profit-driven corporations that seek to expand the resource extraction frontier into new geographical areas. In this context, and fifteen years after the end of the armed conflict in Northern Uganda, we question whether peace can be sustainable in this region of the country.
To fully comprehend current disputes over land or the defence of the natural environment, it is necessary to observe how nature is integrated into peacebuilding and development policies. This is because there is often a narrow understanding on how local communities integrate the natural environment in their everyday life. Three issues stand out in relation to the contributions nature can make to foster sustainable peace and development in Northern Uganda beyond its role in income generation by resource exploitation. The natural environment is relevant for peace because it works as a (a) semiotic system, (b) public space, and (c) reconciliation means.
Department/s
- Department of Human Geography
Publishing year
2024-05-30
Language
French
Publication/Series
Global Voices
Document type
Newspaper article
Topic
- Human Geography
Keywords
- environmental defenders
- North Uganda
- peacebuilding
- human rights
Status
Published
Project
- Environmental Human Rights Defenders – Change Agents at the Crossroads of Climate change, Biodiversity and Cultural Conservation
- The Nature of Peace – The dynamics between post-conflict peacebuilding and environmental protection