Ethiopia accused of forcing people from land

2012-08-22 68

Human Rights Watch has accused Ethiopia of forcing tens of thousands of people to leave their homes as part of a resettlement programme.

The government is leasing millions of hectares of farm land to foreign companies and says that leasing out the agricultural land will help the country become more self-sufficient.

It says its "villagisation" programme has been voluntary and that 70,000 people will have better access to schools and health care.

Nazanine Moshiri reports from Gambella, western Ethiopia.