Maasai homestead burned down in July 2009 Photo: Survival InternationalTanzanian government is allegedly doing the bidding of a UAE safari hunting firmPressure is mounting on the Tanzanian government following the recent violent evictions of Maasai from their land in Loliondo, Northern Tanzania, to make way for the UAE-based safari hunting company, Otterlo Business Corporation (OBC).
Local human rights organisations are filing criminal and civil cases against the Tanzanian government on behalf of the affected Maasai people at the High Court in Arusha. More than 100 witnesses are reportedly willing to testify.
Further pressure comes from diplomats based in Tanzania’s capital, Dar es Salaam. A group from Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and the UK recently visited Loliondo to investigate the evictions and reports of human rights abuses. They were denied entry to the villages in question by local government authorities.
Danish Ambassador, Bjarne Sørensen, called on the Tanzanian government "to be open in its action to secure the rule of law and fundamental human rights for all citizens of Tanzania’ and ‘to launch an independent investigation of the Loliondo case to make sure that unlawful actions are being dealt with by the proper authorities, according to the law."
Around 100 evicted Maasai recently marched to the State House in Dar es Salaam demanding an audience with President Jakaya Kikwete. Their demand was not met.
Following the march, Tanzania’s Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Shamsa Mwangunga, announced an investigation into the forced evictions. However, some observers have expressed concern that it will be a whitewash and have called for an independent investigation.
A video (below) recently posted on youtube includes interviews with evicted Maasai. One man says: "We ask that the world hears our cry and convinces the government to give us back the peace we have enjoyed in years past."
Several weeks of evictions of Maasai from their land in Loliondo took place during July and August. Entire villages were burned to the ground and their inhabitants forcibly evicted. UK-based Survival International has received several disturbing reports of brutal beatings and rapes taking place during the operations.
The evictions were carried out by Tanzanian riot police, allegedly to enable the OBC to easily hunt for game in the area.
Thousands of Maasai and their cattle remain destitute, and in urgent need of food, water and shelter. Any Maasai attempting to return to their homes face arrest and possible imprisonment.
Cattle-dependant tribes
For the Maasai, cattle are what make the good life, and milk and meat are the best foods. Their old ideal was to live by their cattle alone – other foods they could get by exchange – but today they also need to grow crops.
Since the colonial period, most of what used to be Maasai land has been taken over, for private farms and ranches, for government projects, wildlife parks or private hunting concessions. Mostly they retain only the driest and least fertile areas.
The stress this causes to their herds has often been aggravated by attempts made by governments to ‘develop’ the Maasai. These are based on the idea that they keep too much cattle for the land.
However, they are in fact very efficient livestock producers and rarely have more animals than they need or the land can carry. These ‘development’ efforts try to change their system of shared access to land.
While this has suited outsiders and some entrepreneurial Maasai who have been able to acquire land for themselves or sell it off, it has often denuded the soil and brought poverty to the majority of Maasai, who are left with too little and only the worst land.
Local human rights organisations are filing criminal and civil cases against the Tanzanian government on behalf of the affected Maasai people at the High Court in Arusha. More than 100 witnesses are reportedly willing to testify.
Further pressure comes from diplomats based in Tanzania’s capital, Dar es Salaam. A group from Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and the UK recently visited Loliondo to investigate the evictions and reports of human rights abuses. They were denied entry to the villages in question by local government authorities.
Danish Ambassador, Bjarne Sørensen, called on the Tanzanian government "to be open in its action to secure the rule of law and fundamental human rights for all citizens of Tanzania’ and ‘to launch an independent investigation of the Loliondo case to make sure that unlawful actions are being dealt with by the proper authorities, according to the law."
Around 100 evicted Maasai recently marched to the State House in Dar es Salaam demanding an audience with President Jakaya Kikwete. Their demand was not met.
Following the march, Tanzania’s Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Shamsa Mwangunga, announced an investigation into the forced evictions. However, some observers have expressed concern that it will be a whitewash and have called for an independent investigation.
A video (below) recently posted on youtube includes interviews with evicted Maasai. One man says: "We ask that the world hears our cry and convinces the government to give us back the peace we have enjoyed in years past."
Several weeks of evictions of Maasai from their land in Loliondo took place during July and August. Entire villages were burned to the ground and their inhabitants forcibly evicted. UK-based Survival International has received several disturbing reports of brutal beatings and rapes taking place during the operations.
The evictions were carried out by Tanzanian riot police, allegedly to enable the OBC to easily hunt for game in the area.
Thousands of Maasai and their cattle remain destitute, and in urgent need of food, water and shelter. Any Maasai attempting to return to their homes face arrest and possible imprisonment.
Cattle-dependant tribes
For the Maasai, cattle are what make the good life, and milk and meat are the best foods. Their old ideal was to live by their cattle alone – other foods they could get by exchange – but today they also need to grow crops.
Since the colonial period, most of what used to be Maasai land has been taken over, for private farms and ranches, for government projects, wildlife parks or private hunting concessions. Mostly they retain only the driest and least fertile areas.
The stress this causes to their herds has often been aggravated by attempts made by governments to ‘develop’ the Maasai. These are based on the idea that they keep too much cattle for the land.
However, they are in fact very efficient livestock producers and rarely have more animals than they need or the land can carry. These ‘development’ efforts try to change their system of shared access to land.
While this has suited outsiders and some entrepreneurial Maasai who have been able to acquire land for themselves or sell it off, it has often denuded the soil and brought poverty to the majority of Maasai, who are left with too little and only the worst land.
