A leader of the Ogiek tribe in Kenya has received a death threat by telephone. An unknown caller told Mr Mpoiok Kobei, ‘We need your head before Tuesday nineteenth, this month.’
Around a thousand people are thought to have died in Kenya in violence that followed disputed poll results six weeks ago, and more than 600,000 have been forced to flee their homes.
Hundreds of Ogiek families have been caught up in the violence and are among the displaced people. Several young Ogiek have been shot. Ogiek homes have been burned down, and there have been allegations of rape of Ogiek women by police.
The Ogiek are one of the few remaining hunter-gatherer peoples in East Africa. They live in the Mau mountain forest, overlooking the Rift Valley. They gather honey from beehives which they make from hollow logs and place in the high branches of the forest trees.
The Ogiek have been struggling for many years to resist eviction from their forest, and to protect it from settlers, loggers and tea plantations.
Mr. Mpoiok Kobei and other Ogiek leaders are available for interview.
For further information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email [email protected]
Ogiek leader receives death threat
February 14, 2008
Related news articles
- Kenya: Victory for Ogiek tribe in historic court ruling - Wed June 07, 2017
- Ogiek hunter-gatherer shot dead as landgrabs escalate - Fri March 18, 2016
- COP21: Ogiek hunter-gatherers urge Kenyan President to protect their forest - Wed December 02, 2015
- Kenyan hunter-gatherers await a historic court ruling - Mon December 01, 2014
Most recent
- Global protests mark int’l day of action to #SaveHasdeo - Mon May 09, 2022
- Bushmen anger as beloved elder refused burial in Botswana game reserve - Mon April 25, 2022
- Venezuela and Brazil: Violence and destruction escalate in the Yanomami territory - Tue April 19, 2022
- India: massive coal mining expansion in tribal forests green-lighted - Wed April 13, 2022