Tanzania: Indigenous Maasai people forced to relocate

(monk)-TanzaniaThe Tanzanian government is forcibly relocating indigenous Maasai people from their homelands and ancestral lands in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Tanzanian authorities should restore basic public services and consult with affected communities to obtain their free, prior, and informed consent before planning or carrying out further relocations.

The 86-page report ‘It’s like killing the culture’ documented a program begun by the Tanzanian government in 2022 to relocate more than 82,000 people from the NCA to the village of Msomera, approximately 600 km away, to use their land for conservation and tourism purposes. Since 2021, authorities have drastically reduced the availability and accessibility of basic public services, including schools and health centers. The reduction in infrastructure and services, combined with restricted access to cultural sites and grazing areas and a ban on growing crops, has made life increasingly difficult for residents, forcing many to relocate.

“The Maasai were forcibly evicted under the guise of voluntary relocation,” Juliana NoccoSenior researcher on women and land at Human Rights Watch. “The Tanzanian government should halt these displacements, respect the rights of indigenous peoples and rural communities, and ensure their participation in decisions that affect their rights and livelihoods through genuine consultation, access to information, and consent of indigenous groups.”

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site managed by the government body Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA). The area is home to the Maasai people for generations.

Human Rights Watch found that the government’s relocation plan did not seek the free, prior, and informed consent of the local Maasai indigenous people. Residents were denied information about the relocation process, compensation, conditions at Mossomela, and which villagers had registered for relocation. The government’s disregard for its obligations raises serious concerns about accountability, justice, and redress under international, regional, and national law.

Human Rights Watch interviewed nearly 100 people, including current residents of the protected area, former residents who now live in Msomera village, and Msomera residents who already live there, between August 2022 and December 2023. They described violations of their rights to land, education, health, and compensation, as well as attacks on critics of the relocation process.

“Not a single (government) leader has come to listen to the residents of Ngorongoro and understand what their problems are,” said a village council member from the NCA. The lack of consultation has hampered meaningful engagement and exacerbated harm to residents in both areas.

Authorities have instituted new rules to restrict movement in and out of protected areas. Since 2022, NCAA security guards have arbitrarily asked residents to present various forms of identification to verify their place of residence and allow them entry, even if the resident is known to the guards. If residents do not have the specific identification required, guards deny them entry or force them to pay relatively expensive travel fees to gain entry.

Authorities denied entry to NGOs or tracked and monitored NGO representatives who were allowed in. Authorities also imposed increasingly high entry fees on local groups: an annual fee in 2022, a vehicle fee per entry in 2023, and a per-person and per-vehicle fee per entry in 2024.

These actions have made it difficult for local groups to continue supporting the Maasai community in the area and have made it increasingly difficult for residents to access information and other support.

Residents told Human Rights Watch that relations between reserve rangers, who guard the entrance to the NCA and other areas, and community members have deteriorated dramatically since the government began implementing the relocation plan. Rangers have attacked, beaten, and harassed residents if they do not comply with the government’s rules. Human Rights Watch documented 13 incidents of beatings by rangers between September 2022 and July 2023.

Human Rights Watch said the government’s relocation and resettlement procedures exacerbated gender inequality. The head of a household, usually a man, was responsible for registering the household’s relocation. During relocation, the government destroyed the family’s homestead, leaving relatives who chose to stay, including the wife, homeless and dependent on extended family. Human Rights Watch found several women who did not register and refused to relocate with their husbands, becoming homeless.

Due to a lack of consultation, the government provided each relocated Maasai household head with a three-bedroom house, which does not reflect the needs or complexities of large Maasai families, polygamy, multi-generational and multi-household households.

Authorities also forced Msomela residents to relocate to resettle families displaced from the reserve, labeling Msomela residents as “illegal trespassers” and “illegal occupants,” and threatening to arrest and deport them if they protested or spoke to the media.

Those opposing the evictions, including the NCA and Msomera residents and human rights defenders, have faced threats and intimidation from rangers and security forces, creating a climate of fear. “You are not allowed to say anything,” one Msomera resident said, adding that people have “fear in their hearts.”

The Tanzanian government’s eviction process violates rights protected by national, regional and international laws and standards, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Forced evictions constitute gross violations of a range of internationally recognized human rights, including adequate housing, food, water, health, education, work, personal security, freedom from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and freedom of movement.

“The Tanzanian government has both a moral and legal obligation to respect the rights of the indigenous Maasai communities,” Noko said. “The government should urgently reconsider its approach to ensuring the survival, well-being and dignity of the Maasai people, who are being put at serious risk by this relocation process.”

Other quotes:

A village chief in the reserve said:

The government started to make it completely impossible for us to live a normal life. They tried to undermine every aspect of our lives. To make us desperate, instead of fighting, give up and move away. They tried to ensure that nomadic life ended. We never chased wild animals, so we moved away. We are good protectors; we don’t hate wild animals.

It was not a consultation because (the prime minister) just talked. Nothing is more important than listening to people’s opinions and concerns… The prime minister visited the area; many people went, but they were refused (allowed) to enter. He just picked a few people – district and village officials – and told them what he thought, and then he left.

We know nothing about Msomera. We hear that people have lost their livestock. How can we ensure that the government guarantees that if the resettled people lose all their livestock within two to five years, they will be replaced, compensated or supported? If we don’t have information, how can the community ensure that the government provides these guarantees?

I cannot compare Endulen (hospital) now with what it was before. Before, the government provided support and paid some of the hospital staff’s salaries. Before, Endulen had mother and child care services and adequate medicines. Now, the government has cut off all support; they have brought the doctors back to the government hospitals.

Every resident feels the pain. If you are sick, you will think of the huge cost of seeking medical services. The poor are more vulnerable because they do not have the money to travel far away and the local pharmacy does not have medicines. You can sell your livestock to get these services. Another option is to use local traditional herbs or pray to God for a miracle.

He was just walking and they punished him. They made him kneel down – toad (Toad style), they punished him with a stick. His leg was injured. We had no place to report. You go to the police who beat the guy, so you don’t get any help. There are many cases like this. The rangers are like people above the law.

I was born here. My grandfather was born here… There are about 72 people in our family, including grandparents, wives and children (now). There is not enough land to feed all of us. Now, we are completely dependent on our cattle, which we keep far away from here because there is no place to graze.