Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Tanzanian government of forcibly evicting tens of thousands of Maasai people from their ancestral lands.
The report, released on Wednesday, alleges that government rangers have brutally beaten members of the nomadic community with impunity.
The Maasai have long faced tensions with authorities, but the situation escalated in 2022 when the government initiated a plan to relocate approximately 82,000 people from the renowned Ngorongoro Conservation Area to the Handeni district, roughly 600 kilometers away.
While the government claims the move is necessary to protect the UNESCO World Heritage site, HRW asserts that the real purpose is to clear the land for conservation and tourism.
International backlash against the scheme has grown, with the World Bank and European Union cutting funding. HRW’s investigation, based on interviews with nearly 100 people, details a pattern of abuse by government rangers.
Victims described being targeted and beaten without consequence. One man recounted how his friend was severely injured by rangers while attending a funeral.
The report further alleges that the Tanzanian government has failed to obtain free and fair consent for the relocations, violating the rights of the Maasai people to land, education, and healthcare.
HRW’s senior researcher, Juliana Nnoko, condemned the forced evictions, stating that human rights abuses should not be tolerated in the name of conservation or tourism.
Despite the government’s claims of adhering to Tanzanian law, the Maasai community continues to face displacement and violence. The international community is increasingly calling for an end to these practices and for the protection of the Maasai people and their ancestral lands.