Pieces of A Jigsaw Puzzle: Realizing Indigenous Peoples’ Land Rights Within the Context of The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights

The majority of Africa’s indigenous peoples occupy resource rich regions of their countries. These attract attention from their governments and at times international bodies, and this has made them susceptible to violations of their land rights, through evictions in order to free the land for activities like logging, extraction of minerals, and the establishment of environmentally sensitive and protected areas like National Parks
or Game Reserves. In most cases, such appropriation has been without compensation or any grant of alternative land, and yet the survival of these people is intricately intertwined with land. This paper discusses the concept of indigenous peoples in Africa in relation to land rights, and the contentions that surround it. It highlights the prerequisites or the pieces of the puzzle that must be in place in order for indigenous peoples to successfully pursue their land rights within the framework of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Knowledge of their rights and the ability to vindicate them are some of the pieces that must exist before the realization of their rights, the last point on the continuum.