Africa: Indigenous people demand rights protection

Indigenous people from around the world demanded at a conference Wednesday that governments respect aboriginal land ownership and halt development and resettlement programs that can harm the environment. "We are linked to our land," said Sinafasi Makelo, a representative of Congo's Mbuti pygmies. "We must not be ordered to leave for money or material compensation. That is not what we're seeking." Makelo accused African authorities of expelling indigenous people to create national parks and forest reserves - then letting Western companies plunder the "protected" areas for profit.