Tanzania Evicting Tens of Thousands Of Maasai: HRW

Sub: Geo

Sec: Human geo

Eviction of Maasai from Ancestral Lands:

The Tanzanian government is forcibly evicting tens of thousands of Maasai from their ancestral lands.
Human Rights Watch reported that government rangers have beaten some Maasai community members with impunity.

Tensions and Relocation Program:

Long-standing tensions exist between the Tanzanian authorities and the nomadic Maasai community.
The government’s relocation program, launched in 2022, aims to move approximately 82,000 people from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to Handeni district by 2027.

Conservation and Tourism Controversy

The government claims the relocation is to conserve the UNESCO World Heritage site from human encroachment.
Human Rights Watch argues that the land will be used for conservation and tourism purposes, sparking international criticism.
As a result, the World Bank and the European Union have withdrawn funding from the initiative.

About Maasai community:

The Maasai are a Nilotic ethnic group (people indigenous to the Nile Valley) living in northern, central, and southern Kenya, and northern Tanzania, near the African Great Lakes region.
They speak the Maa language, part of the Nilotic language family, related to Dinka, Kalenjin, and Nuer languages.
While most Maasai speak Swahili and English, some elders in rural areas primarily use the Maa language.
Population and Census Data:
- The 2019 census reported 1,189,522 Maasai in Kenya, up from 377,089 in the 1989 census.
- However, many Maasai distrust the census process, often refusing to participate or providing false information, viewing it as government interference.