Promoting the rights, voices, and visions of the world’s Indigenous Peoples

Action:  Send emails to Secretary-General of the Commonwealth before Nov. 26, 2009
See model letter
Kenya has had a deplorable record of violating the rights of its Indigenous citizens, both during colonization and after. Beginning in February of this year, the Kenyan government has carried out massive and well-organized attacks on Samburu villages by combined police and military forces and the use of government-funded mercenaries from Somalia. The government used helicopters, bombs, apparent chemical weapons, and ground forces on unarmed villagers, and they confiscated the people’s only food source, their cattle, prompting a famine that has killed hundreds more people. The mercenaries hired by the government have kidnapped and murdered children, beheaded sleeping adults, and seized even more cattle. Hundreds of Samburu women who live near police encampments have been raped. This ongoing violence and intimidation appears to be motivated by government oil leases recently awarded to Chinese companies to drill on Samburu land in violation of their rights.
Environmental concerns compound this humanitarian disaster. The Samburu pastoralists manage several wildlife conservancies in collaboration with environmental organizations, combining conservation with small-scale eco-tourism. Government forces brutally shut down these conservancies in February and confiscated all their anti-poaching equipment. Since then, over 50 elephants have been killed in the region, and the Samburu have been powerless to stop the poaching. Chinese companies that are building a road through Samburu territory may be associated with the poaching. 
Read background information on the situation.

What You Can Do:
The Commonwealth nations, including Kenya, will meet in Trinidad-Tobago November 27-29. The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth has invited citizens to send him their comments and concerns in advance of the meeting.
Please send a message today, urging the Commonwealth to demand an immediate end to the campaign of terror being waged against the Samburu people, and an independent investigation and prosecution for these atrocities.
Send your message to:
Mr. Kamalesh Sharma
Commonwealth Secretary-General
asksharma@commonwealth.int
and info@commonwealth.int
See model letter
NOTE:  We are currently receiving reports of further air and land attacks on the Samburu by hundreds of Kenyan police troops during the week of November 16.
Please keep visiting www.culturalsurvival.org for updates and for more actions you can take