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Situation Analysis at Kalumbila: Main drivers of the dispute. “ Our aim is to gain control of the two great treasure houses on which the West depends. The energy treasure house of the Persian Gulf and the mineral treasure house of Central and Southern Africa. ” . Root causes.
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Situation Analysis at Kalumbila: Main drivers of the dispute “Our aim is to gain control of the two great treasure houses on which the West depends. The energy treasure house of the Persian Gulf and the mineral treasure house of Central and Southern Africa.”
Root causes • Allow us to outline some of the root causes of conflict that we have identified in the Kalumbila case; • Failure to understand the nature and objectives of KML as a foreign direct investment (FDI)
Root causes cont… • Threat to citizens’ land rights and access to resources. • Land is our home; Musele is our home. Musele Chiefdom is approximately 2,025km squared, with a population of between 30,000 and 45,000. Population density is approximately between 14.8 and 22.5 to 1 square km. With the influx of new comers the pressure will inevitably increase. • Land gives us identity and defines our roots- our history .People without land become rootless, and lose their sense of belonging. • Land is a resource and heritage for perpetual generations. It is our inalienable right. Hence, erestKalumbila’s grabbing (and laying siege) of our farms, rivers, and land in general without our consent is a clear violation of this right. • Security of tenure- there is a clear threat to the people’s right of tenure
Root causes cont… • Mass internal displacements, and unjust compensation. • KML siege to farmlands, mode of resettlement are both psychologically traumatic and an insult to people’s citizenship, (see map below). Its compensation policy (if any) follows an unjust scale known only to KML. For instance, take note of quotes (c) and (d) in their compensation Agreements:
Root causescont…. • Environmental Concerns. • But the mining companies do not care at all as to what happens to the people and the environment. KML is a typical example. Its activities are not sustainable in the long term, and are likely to turn Musele Chiefdom into a desolate area. Compare map (a) with map (b) below:
ARE KML DEMANDS GENUINE? • The demand for the Chisola Dam is a ploy to grab more than 95,000ha of land that KML has been coveting. Moreover, the damming of both Musangeji and Chisola are for the purpose of keeping the lower reaches of the two rivers so as to extract minerals from their river beds. There are other ulterior motives: to find an excuse to evict the Community from their settlements along the Kisasa-Chovwe road, besides confiscating land for their farming, and accessibility to resources like wildlife, timber, etc. Take note also that if Chisola is dammed, this will come to a total of (approximately) 50km2 of surface water created by the two artificial lakes. This will inevitably submerge vital woodlands and farmlands, besides the destruction of biodiversity. • It is of interest to note that KML activities in the Chisola area are well outside the earlier boundary. KML singlehandedly entered the area illegally and began to block the river. A clear display of its disregard for both customary jurisdiction and the laws of Zambia.
