Namibia: Salambala Villagers Win Court Fight Against Conservancy Eviction

More than 1 200 villagers will remain in the Salambala conservancy in the Zambezi region despite an eviction attempt by the conservancy management, stemming from a decades-old dispute over an area reserved for wild animals.

The High Court ruled in August that the residents, who have lived in the area since 1972, cannot be forced out.

Judge Nate Ndauendapo in his ruling said their presence predates the conservancy’s establishment in 1998, and that their land rights remain valid under the Communal…