Africa: At Least 124 Land and Environmental Defenders Killed Globally in 2025

At least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed in 2025, bringing the total documented killings and disappearances since 2012 to 2,375, a new report by Global Witness reveals

Of all killings documented in 2025, 85% took place in Latin America, which has ranked as the world’s deadliest region for environmental defenders every year since Global Witness began publishing its annual report in 2012. Globally, more than three-quarters of those killed were small-scale farmers, Indigenous Peoples or Afro-descendant Peoples. Killings took place across Latin America, Asia and Africa.

Colombia, for the fourth consecutive year, was the world’s deadliest documented country for defenders, with 39 killings, nearly half of whom were Indigenous. The second deadliest was Brazil, where 26 defenders were killed in 2025, more than double the figure from the year before. Other deadly countries included Honduras and the Philippines, which each had 12 documented killings, followed by Mexico with 10 killings and Guatemala with eight.

Land disputes were associated with more than half of the killings documented in 2025. Extractive and commercial interests also continued to feature in attacks against defenders: Mining and extractive industries were linked to 11 killings, logging interests to eight and agribusiness to six. Globally, more than one third of killings were linked to organised crime or hitmen. Actors linked to organised crime were identified as perpetrators in cases across multiple countries.

While documented killings were lower in Asia, the report highlights the widespread criminalisation and intimidation of defenders across the continent. Such criminal allegations, which are often amplified via smear campaigns on social media, aim to discredit environmental defenders, casting them as criminals and instigators rather than a frontline defence.

Communities and collective protection

Across regions, Indigenous Peoples and small-scale farmers were highly targeted. Global Witness documented the killing of 44 Indigenous people in 2025, including seven Indigenous Guards.

The report documents how communities across multiple countries use collective protection mechanisms as part of their long-standing defence of their territories, rights and livelihoods. This includes territorial patrols, early warning systems, community monitoring networks and community capacity building, which are supported by rich cultural and often spiritual practices.

Collective protection recognises that land and environmental defenders are rarely targeted as isolated individuals, and challenges the limitations of an individual and reactive protection approach, as collective protection is mostly preventive and life-affirming.

Toby Hill, land and environmental defenders investigator and lead author, said:

“Defenders are the world’s eyes and ears on the ground. It’s thanks to them that we know when ecosystems are being destroyed, where forests are being cleared or rivers polluted. The violence that defenders face, including killings in the most extreme cases, reflects a much broader struggle over the world’s land and resources. But beyond these tragic stories, we can’t forget the thousands of defenders around the world who are working every day to protect their territories and cultures under increasing pressure.”

In Peru, Kakataibo communities have established an Indigenous Guard to protect their land and culture from violence and degradation linked to organised crime and illegal coca cultivation. Community members now patrol their territories, monitor illegal incursions and work on collective capacity building to protect one of the most biodiverse regions of the Amazon.

Segundo Ispón, commander of Peru’s Kakataibo Indigenous Guard, said:

“Defending our territory is important to us as a community and as a people, and we’re proud to support the climate that we all depend on. In our culture, the work of defending our resources and territory is taught from an early age. But for this next generation coming up, the work is more dangerous than ever.”

In Asia, the report documents how accusations of criminal activity are being used to stigmatise the collective protection mechanisms that Indigenous Peoples use to defend their lands. Such criminalisation and intimidation of defenders is a deeply concerning trend that Global Witness has documented in the past. In Indonesia, for example, Indigenous Dayak people who opposed a pulpwood producer’s activities on their land and the pollution of local water sources subsequently faced a series of criminal allegations that could carry years of imprisonment.

Ahmad Syukri, executive director at Link-AR Borneo, a West Kalimantan-based civil society group that supports Indigenous Peoples in land conflicts said:

“Each time the community takes action to defend its land rights, uphold and protect its customary laws and customary territories, an attempt at criminalisation follows against the figure leading that struggle.”

A harsh global climate

The global policy environment for the protection of human rights and those who defend them was seriously weakened in 2025, as the world saw an increase in authoritarian practices, violent conflict and unregulated corporate power, alongside a crisis in funding for human rights.

The report states that the unprecedented fall in foreign aid seen in 2025 – driven by budget cuts by the governments of the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and other traditional donors – impacted thousands of human rights organisations, drastically reducing the global pool of support to communities acting in the depths of rainforests and other secluded ecosystems.

Juliana Vélez Echeverri, a Senior Campaigner at Global Witness, said:

“The effects of these budget cuts are not abstract. In Colombia, projects working to promote and protect human rights and support defenders have been hit by the sudden drop in foreign aid, particularly from the U.S. When foreign aid retreats, Indigenous Peoples and small-scale farmers can be left with fewer resources and less support as they defend the forests, rivers and other ecosystems that sustain their communities and help keep the global climate stable.”

Methodology

Global Witness produces its annual data in partnership with more than 30 local, national and regional organisations in more than 20 countries. Cases documented for the report go through a rigorous fact-checking process before publication, drawing on credible sources including information from partners, media reporting, judicial records and other public sources. Due to limitations in reporting and verification, the figures are almost certainly an underestimate of the true scale of violence.

By  Global Witness.