ACHPR African Commission on Human and Peoples' Hiqhts Human Rights our Collective Responsibility 6. The Complainants state that, while the affected indigenous Omo communities recognize that the state is entitled to exploit its vast hydropower and sugar production potential, the Government has neither made an effort to inform the Lower Omo Peoples of the adverse impacts of the project nor obtained their prior consent on the Gilgel Gibe III Hydroelectric Power Project (Gibe III dam) before work commenced in 2006. 7. The Complainants claims that the Kuraz Sugar Project involves the involuntary resettlement of large numbers of people, especially the Mursi who are billed to be removed, from their ancestral land to larger population centres in the vicinity of the Eastern irrigation canal without any effort by the Respondent to inform or consult the people prior to the start of the project. 8. In order to make way for the Kuraz Sugar project, the Complainants allege that many members of the Bodi Community have already been.forcibly moved from their traditional land and habitations against their will to a much more arid land at Gura. In order to continue with the projects, the Respondent State is allegedly maintaining a strong military presence in South Omo and night patrols are carried out in parts of the affected communities in order to stifle dissent. Those opposed to the projects have been arrested and that at the time this Communication was filed, about 200 Bodi, 30 Mursi and 20 Suri people were already in custody in Hana or Jinka. Articles alleged to have been violated 9. The Complainants allege that the Respondent State has violated the provisions of Articles 20(1), 21(1), 22(1) and 24 of the African Charter. Prayers of the Complainants 10. The Complainants pray the Commission to: (a) Urge the Respondent to conduct independent investigations into the effect of Gibe III and the Kuraz Sugar Project on human rights, health and means of subsistence of the Complainants; (b) Urge the Respondent to make an objective appraisal, based on the data from such independent investigations, to determine whether these projects can operate without endangering the Lower Omo P~_~im~ their livelihoods, and prepare a detailed "livelihood devel~[J:fen?-' for the affected communities in the Lower Omo. i' o u An Or~}anof ~he African Commission African (~}' Union ""',# 2 https:/achpr,au.intiO <) II