DoomsdaysCW#HRW to #Tanzania: Stop forcing #indigenous tribes off #ancestral lands
Voice of America
01 Aug 2024, 04:05 GMT+10
Nairobi - "#HumanRightsWatch is accusing Tanzania of forcing indigenous tribes from their ancestral land in the #Ngorongoro Conservation Area. In a report released Wednesday, the rights group documents a Tanzanian government program to move 82,000 people off their land to use it for wildlife conservation, #tourism and hunting.
"The Ngorongoro Conservation Area in northern Tanzania is a U.N. #WorldHeritageSite managed by the Tanzanian government. For centuries, the #Maasai tribe has lived in the area side by side with wild animals.
"In 2022, the government of Tanzania launched a program to encourage the voluntary relocation of the Maasai tribe from the conservation area to Msomera, a town about 600 kilometers (370 miles) away.
"However, what the government called a voluntary relocation plan was far from voluntary, Human Rights Watch says.
"Allan Ngari, the group's Africa advocacy director, said the forced movement of the people is against the Tanzanian constitution and international law.
"'There are clear violations, including the Maasai people's rights to consultation, including prior to planning and execution of the #relocation, the prohibition of #ForcedEvictions, which is happening even for #Msomera residents. And then their culture and development has been inhibited,' Ngari said. "So, there's just a general disregard of the obligations by the government that raises serious concerns about the prospects of any accountability, justice."
#IndigenousPeople #IndigenousPeoplesDay #IndigenousAfricans #Africa