UN expert urges sudan to suspend Merowe, Kajbar dam projects
28 August 2007 (GENEVA) — A United Nations human rights expert has called for a halt to work on two hydroelectric dams in northern Sudan after receiving reports that local communities are about to face large-scale evictions from the area to make way for the projects.
Miloon Kothari, the UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, issued a statement yesterday saying he had also received “numerous reports of violations of civil and political rights” – including the shooting of unarmed demonstrators, arbitrary arrests and repressive measures against the media – by the Sudanese Government as it responded to local protests about the projects.
Kothari said work on the dams in the Merowe and Kajbar areas of the northern Nile Valley should be suspended until an independent assessment can be carried out on the projects’ impact on the local population, estimated at more than 60,000.
He said he has received reports that the Merowe reservoir’s water levels have already risen, destroying dozens of homes in the area and putting many more at risk.
“The affected people have claimed that they received no warning that water levels would be raised and that no assistance from Government authorities has been forthcoming since their houses were destroyed,” Kothari said.
The Special Rapporteur noted that thousands of people in the same area were relocated in similar circumstances that left many temporarily without food or shelter, and that some of those people remain homeless today.
Given the local opposition, moving forward with the projects “would lead to large-scale forced evictions and further violence,” he said. He urged the Government to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and adequate housing of locals.
Kothari stressed that the Sudanese authorities must fully comply with international principles and guidelines on how to handle evictions and displacement that follow development projects.
He called on the Government to allow UN human rights monitors into the region to conduct an independent evaluation of the situation.
The Special Rapporteur, who is independent and reports to the UN Human Rights Council, also urged the companies involved in the dams and the countries that have funded the projects to put a halt to the work until the impartial evaluation can be made.
Below the statement of the special rapporteur:
The Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, Miloon Kothari, issued the following statement today:
Geneva, 27 August 2007: “I am deeply concerned by the situation of the
communities affected by the hydro-electric projects in the Merowe and
Kajbar areas in the northern Nile valley in Sudan which has continued to
worsen during the past two years.
I continue to receive disturbing reports that large-scale forced evictions
may be imminent in the Merowe area. The reports indicate that rising water
levels of the Merowe reservoir have destroyed dozens of houses in the past
weeks and may destroy many more, forcing residents out of their homes. The
affected people have claimed that they received no warning that water
levels would be raised and that no assistance from Government authorities
has been forthcoming since their houses were destroyed. Last year,
thousands of people in the Merowe area were relocated in similar
circumstances which temporarily left them without food or shelter, and some
remain homeless.
While I am still in the process of assessing the development motives behind
the projects, these cannot, according to international human rights
instruments, under any circumstances, be planned and implemented without
effective involvement of the affected populations and at the expense of the
human rights of more than 60.000 people, including women, children and the
elderly. In the present circumstances, moving forward with the projects
given the opposition by the communities would lead to large-scale forced
evictions and further violence. As recognized by the international
community, forced evictions violate a wide range of human rights and
large-scale evictions can only be carried out under exceptional
circumstances and in full accordance with international human rights
standards.
Moreover, as opposition by the communities to the dams has grown, I have
received numerous reports of violations of civil and political rights due
to the government’s response to community protests. These have included the
shooting of unarmed demonstrators, arbitrary arrests of activists, and
repressive measures against the press when journalists have attempted to
cover the events.
As previously communicated to the Government of Sudan (1), I strongly urge
the authorities to fully comply with international human rights standards,
and to consider the use of instruments and guidelines that have been
developed to minimize the impact of these kinds of projects on the human
rights of the populations, such as the “Basic principles and guidelines on
development-based evictions and displacement”
(2). I call upon all States that have invested in the Merowe and Kajbar
dams, in particular China, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, the Sultanate
of Oman and the League of Arab States (through the Arab Fund for Economic
and Social Development), to ensure that the implementation of the projects
does not lead to violations of human rights including the right to adequate
housing of the affected communities.
I urge the companies involved in the projects, such as Harbin (China),
Lahmeyer International (Germany), and Alstom (France) to put a halt to
their activities until a full and impartial assessment of the impact on the
human rights of the population is made. In this regard, I also strongly
encourage that States, in particular China, Germany and France, ensure that
the work of their national companies does not -directly or indirectly –
negatively impact the human rights of the affected people.
As an immediate step, in view of the reported rise in the water level and
the possible flooding in the Merowe area, I urge the Government to take all
necessary measures to ensure the safety and adequate housing of persons
living in the area. I also urge the Government of Sudan to facilitate swift
access for UN human rights monitors to conduct an independent
eviction-impact assessment mission. Until the results of such impact
assessment are made available, I call upon the Government to suspend the
hydro-electric dam projects in Merowe and Kajbar.
Notes
(1) See Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing,
Summary of communications sent and replies received from Governments and
other actors, A/HRC/4/18/Add.1,
(2) The “Basic principles and guidelines on development-based evictions and
displacement” are included as Annex I to the report of the Special
Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, A/HRC/4/18,
(UN)