In early 2015, Maasai and Datoga citizens living in the Morogoro region of Tanzania were victims of deadly, ethnic violence. According to reports from local media, the assaults were instigated by public figures interested in acquiring land, and state authorities have not intervened to protect Maasai citizens. Police protection has instead been given to others who are illegally cultivating officially registered Maasai land.
Parakuiyo Pastoralists Indigenous Community Development Organization (PAICODEO), PINGOs Forum, Tanzania Land Alliance (TALA), the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) and journalists from ITV, Star TV, Channel 10 and Mwananchi newspaper have conducted a fact finding mission concerning the forced evictions of pastoralists in Kilombero and Ulanga districts in Morogoro region in Tanzania. The fact finding mission was carried out from 12.11 – 15.11 2012.
This urgent alert is based on the forceful evictions of Maasai pastoralists from their homes and grazing lands in Loliondo Division, Ngorongoro District in Northern Tanzania and the gross human rights violations that are being committed.
The eviction operation started on the 4th July 2009 and was conducted by the notorious riot police, the Field Force Unit, with assistance of private guards from the Otterlo Business Cooperation (OBC). They entered the villages by shooting in the air and using teargas before pouring petrol on the Maasai homes and setting them on fire.
IWGIA has recently been informed by local partners in Tanzania that a government operation aimed at forcefully removing pastoralists from the Kilosa district in the Morogoro Region in southern Tanzania started on the 29.1.2009. The Tanzanian government wants to remove all pastoralists from Kilosa district and, according to some sources, the whole of Morogoro Region, and force them to other areas of Tanzania. Such areas have though, according to IWGIA local partners as yet not been specified, and the affected families do not know where to go to.
This report provides an overview of the conflict in Loliondo, reviewing historical information, current land uses and tenure arrangements.
This chapter addresses issues related to securing access and rights to resources, and gaining benefits from the resource within the context of one community-based initiative in the village of Ololosokwan in Tanzania.
This is a report on TALA-Media joint mission in response to recently reported killings of 5 agro pastoralists and farmers in Maguba area Malinyi Division in Ulanga District. These people were allegedly reported to be killed by gun shots by the Tanzania Peoples Defense Forces on Saturday 17th March, 2012.
This fact finding mission had been organised to investigate the challenges facing pastoralists in Rufiji District, the challenges which have been defined as the source of conflict in this district. Although pastoralists had arrived in Rufiji since 1990’s but they officially went there and other places in Coastal and in Lindi Regions after they had been evicted from Ihefu and Kilosa in 2006-9. The Government, through their operation, announced to prepare areas for pastoralists and also to set all necessary and potential services for them to survive In Lindi, Ruvuma and Pwani Regions.
According to the research and follow ups made by Pingo’s Forum and LHRC indicated that, most victims were not trespassers to the land as contented by the Government. The pastoralists including Sukuma, Taturu, hunters and gatherers (Hadzabe) lawfully living within the Conservation Area resisted the government movement to evict them without paying adequate compensation.
This report springs from series of field visits.Its aim was, among others, to examine further the extent of human rights violations suffered by pastoralists in Kilombero and Rufiji valley during the evictions. It additionally makes recommendations including the need for lobbying against the State’s contempt of court orders
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