Africa: Killing of Environmental Defenders Reflects Power Struggle Over World's Resources

What the report says

Global Witness has reported that at least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed worldwide in 2025 while trying to protect forests, rivers, farmland and Indigenous territories. The findings were published in the report *Collective Power* and were carried in an AllAfrica story by Inter Press Service from London and Srinagar, India. The group said the toll was lower than in 2024, but warned that violence against activists remains widespread and that the decline should not be taken as a sign of improved safety.

The report says the killings are linked to disputes over land, natural resources and environmental damage, including illegal logging, mining, land grabs and resistance to industrial expansion. Global Witness said the cumulative total of killings or disappearances it has tracked since 2012 has reached 2,375. It also said the true number is likely higher because many attacks happen in remote areas or places where reporting is difficult and civil society is under pressure.

According to the report, Indigenous people and small-scale farmers made up nearly three-quarters of those killed in 2025. It also highlights risks facing defenders in Africa, Asia and Latin America, including intimidation, criminal cases, surveillance and online harassment. The article notes cases in Nigeria, Peru, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mexico and Chile to illustrate broader patterns of repression and community resistance.

The report frames the violence as part of a wider struggle over who controls land and resources, and says the targeting of defenders can weaken environmental protection and civic freedoms. That context matters because these activists often provide early warnings about forest loss, pollution and abuses affecting local communities.