The Government of Namibia: Stop the Dakar Rally from destroying pristine Namibia

Liberty V. started this petition to The Government Of Namibia started this petition to

The Dakar Rally is both incredibly damaging to local peoples in the areas in which it is run; and to the environments and ecosystems in which it operates. Namibia is one of the last pristine wildlife havens, as well as being home to ancient and incredibly important ecosystems; allowing hundreds of careless drivers to rampage across the country would have countless negative impacts on lives, livelihoods and nature across the nation.



The Dakar has been frequently criticized for contributing very little to local economies; while the damage caused in many communities is tangible.



In 1988, three Africans were killed by vehicles involved in the race, and likely many more livelihoods were damaged by the destruction and fallout that a race of this magnitude creates.



Namibia is proud of its environment, and tourism is a high-grossing avenue of income for the Namibian government. Seeing our pristine landscapes and vulnerable wildlife and ecosystems decimated by what L'Osservatore Romano described as a “vulgar display of power and wealth in places where men continue to die from hunger and thirst” is unimaginable and most importantly, cannot be allowed.



Quoted on the Dakar Rally Wikipedia page, sourced from Sports Illustrated:



“Six people were killed during the 1988 race, three participants and three local residents. In one incident, Baye Sibi, a 10-year-old Malian girl, was killed by a racer while she crossed a road. A film crew's vehicle killed a mother and daughter in Mauritania on the last day of the race. The race participants killed, in three separate crashes, were a Dutch navigator on the DAF Trucks team, a French privateer, and a French rider. Racers were also blamed for starting a wildfire that caused a panic on a train running between Dakar and Bamako, where three more people were killed.”



The race is currently decimating South America - including countless areas of historical and environmental value.



We need to take action and stop this crass, commercial destruction of Namibian nature before it occurs.

