In Rio Maria, in Brazil, the land is at the origin of many conflicts. Several trade unionists of the farming industry have been murdered. Still, the people who committed these murders have never been sued before court.
Time after time, the members of Réseau-Solidarité protested and, eventually, on April 28 1994, for the first time in the rural history of Brazil, an Assize Court, that of Belém, gave its judgement on the murder of farmers. The murderer was sentenced to 50 years’imprisonment.
North of Togo, farmers are ousted from their villages by the government in order to increase the surface of national parks and therefore to encourage tourism and the injection of foreign currency.
In May 1990, Réseau-Solidarité originated a massive sending of letters to Lomé. In July, the government of Togo allowed 6000 evicted farmers to get back home.
India started, with the help of the World Bank, a construction programme in the valley of the Narmada river. The people living along the river are opposed to the construction of the main barrages and propose other options.
On several occasions, the members of Réseau-Solidarité wrote to the World Bank. In 1987, then in 1993, the World Bank called on the Indian government to respect its social obligations. But on March 31 1993, rather than respect, India preferred to renounce the World Bank loan. the construction programme is stopped, it is at this point a glorious victory for the people’s organisations.


And things change...