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Uganda: Forest riots spark new racial unrest

Public opposition to the planned giveaway of a Ugandan forest to a sugar company has radicalized. Opponents to the project have turned to the streets to express their refusal to see a quarter of the forest replaced by sugarcane plantations. Besides its role as a biodiversity haven, the forest is believed to host spirits protecting the Baganda kingdom. Because the sugar company is affiliated with the Indian-owned group Mehta, this controversy has awaken racial tensions and anti-Asian feelings, reminiscent of the Amin period. During a demonstration last week, 2 activists were shot by a security guard, while the crowd stoned an Indian man to death, and stormed a Hindu temple.


See our previous blog on the subject, and an article about the recent events in the South African Sunday Tribune.

 

 

Posted By Anne-Sophie Samjee at 10:34am on April 18, 2007


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