Africa: At Least 124 Land and Environmental Defenders Killed Globally in 2025

What the report says

Global Witness has released new data showing that at least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed globally in 2025, raising the organisation’s documented total of killings and disappearances since 2012 to 2,375. AllAfrica’s report, based on the Global Witness findings, says Latin America accounted for 85% of the killings, with Colombia and Brazil responsible for more than half of the deaths recorded in 2025.

The report identifies Colombia as the deadliest country for defenders for a fourth straight year, with 39 killings, followed by Brazil with 26. Other countries named as especially affected include Honduras, the Philippines, Mexico and Guatemala. Global Witness also says more than three-quarters of those killed were small-scale farmers, Indigenous Peoples or Afro-descendant communities, and that Indigenous people accounted for 44 of the killings documented in 2025.

According to the organisation, land disputes were behind more than half of the deaths. Mining, logging and agribusiness were also linked to multiple attacks, while more than one-third of cases were tied to organised crime or hired gunmen. The report says intimidation and criminalisation remain major threats in Asia, even where the death toll was lower than in Latin America.

Global Witness argues that defenders are facing a tougher operating environment amid authoritarian trends, violent conflict, corporate power and cuts to foreign aid for human rights work. The findings matter because they point to ongoing risks for communities protecting land, forests and water, and to wider concerns about environmental governance and human rights.