Environmental reporters in sub-Saharan Africa face assaults and arrests, report finds

According to a recent International Press Institute study, environmental journalists across sub-Saharan Africa have been subjected to a series of attacks and legal pressures. The organization recorded 26 separate cases of harassment, physical assault and arrests within the five months leading up to March. Those reporting on illegal extraction of minerals, forest loss and oil sector mismanagement faced the highest risk.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and Mozambique, reporters were physically assaulted while covering illegal mining and logging. In Chad and Namibia, journalists were arrested or intimidated after scrutinising national oil resource management. Two journalists are still detained, one of whom was arrested in Zimbabwe on “cyberbullying” accusations after his outlet reported on alleged corruption in a multimillion-dollar waste-to-energy deal.