Who can stop
the cruel and lawless Tanzanian government, each day more determined to finish
off the Maasai of Loliondo and Ngorongoro, and apparently all Tanzanians whose
home, livelihood and culture depend on land that’s of interest to the greedy
and destructive tourism industry?
The nightmare
continues. Decades of land rights struggle in Loliondo could not protect the
1,500 km2 - essential for lives and livelihoods - from a government
high on tourist cult and the blood of pastoralists, lobbied by OBC that
organize hunting for Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai and that for many years have
wanted their favourite hunting area taken from the Maasai and turned into a
protected area, which has led to extrajudicial mass arson in 2009 and 2017, and
a local police state full of fear, before the worst nightmare became real in
2022.
In June 2022,
all councillors from affected wards were abducted right before the brutal and
lawless demarcation started and locked up for over five months, charged with
“murder” – without any attempt at prosecution, only postponements, until the
case was dropped - together with people arrested for sharing pictures of the
violence, but charged with “murder”, they toodetained without fair trial
until the charges were dropped over five months later. Beacons were planted in
a rain of teargas and bullets, security forces were beating, slashing with
bayonets, cutting, raping, and arresting people. Thousands fled to Kenya,
hundreds were arrested and 62 were charged with bogus immigration cases that
were dismissed – without any prosecution - months later. The security forces
destroyed houses, stole motorcycles and smartphones, seized and even shot
livestock. Oriais Oleng'iyo who was last seen on 10th June 2022,
with bullet wounds and held by security forces, has still not been brought back
to his family, and the enforced disappearance case filed by his son was on 17th
May 2023 dismissed by the judge, on ground that the police were likely not
responsible for the operation but the Minister of Natural Resource and Tourism
who was not sued in this enforced disappearance case.
To further
finish off the Maasai, driving them into abject poverty, rangers have kept
lawlessly seizing, fining, and even auctioning livestock. Some of the seized
livestock are being slaughtered by the rangers. Though apparently these crimes
have stopped in December. Partly because of fewer livestock in the area due to
good rains, and hopefully because of legal action.
As reported
in the previous blog post, the government keeps on disrespecting court orders
after the High Court ruled that the “Pololeti Game Controlled Area” is null and
void for two reasons: mandatory consultation was lacking, and the president's
decision to on 14th October 2022 (when court cases against the minister’s
GCA had already been filed) declare a “Pololeti Game Reserve” on the same land
automatically repealed its status. And the operation of “Pololeti Game Reserve”
is stopped by the court until determination of the case regarding the president’s
GN, which means the Game Controlled Area is non-existent and operation of the Game
Reserve has been stayed (suspended) by the Court pending determination of Misc
Civil Cause No 18 of 2023.
Women in
Ololosokwan have held a big protest that wasn’t reported about by anyone from this
village!
Meanwhile, in
the East African Court of Justice, the most demented ruling dismissed the
contempt of court case (the one arising from Application No. 15 of 2017), but
the appellate division allowed the retrial of the almost equally demented ruling
that in September 2022 dismissed the case about the illegal mass arson
operation of 2017.
Then OBC’s
“journalist”, after achieving the long-lobbied for, brutal and illegal land
alienation, is back with complaints on behalf of the “investor”.
In Ngorongoro
division (Ngorongoro Conservation Area) – that should NOT be confused
with Loliondo/Sale – insane restrictions, blocking of permits and harassment
continue with the aim of making the Maasai relocate “voluntarily”, while
propaganda about Msomera goes on.
On 14th
December it was announced that the blood-soaked criminal Raymond Mwangwala has
been transferred to Rombo district in Kilimanjaro region and new Ngorongoro DC
is colonel Wilson Christian Sakullo, previously Missenyi DC. Good riddance!
Only that every time I say this, the new DC is even worse …
Also on 14th
December, the EU parliament passed a resolution in strong support of the Maasai
of Loliondo and Ngorongoro. As expected, the government responded with more
lies.
I will very
soon publish a summary of the history of the Loliondo hunting block, for
reference, since these terribly delayed blog posts are getting too long.
In this blog
post:
Cattle
rustling and auctioning scandal in court in Musoma
Other crime
against livestock since the latest blog post
Women’s
protest and men’s silence in Ololosokwan
OBC are still
complaining, and their own private “journalist” is back
NCAA responds
to the Jamhuri and proudly admits its cruellest crimes
Hooligan
judges dismiss contempt of court application in the East African Court
A significant
win in the appellate division of the East African Court of Justice
Other court
cases
Sportswashing
in the Serengeti
Denis Moses
speaking at TEC meeting
The notorious
Germans
Better German
behaviour awarding Joseph Oleshangay
Ngorongoro
division
COP28
The big green
snake
Case against
Sifa Bujune dismissed
EU parliament
passes resolution in support of the Maasai
The usual
government statement with shameless lies
RIP Michèle
Rivasi
Most of these
issues should have their separate blog post. There’s a lot more to say about
all of them, and some are here mentioned far too briefly. Some information is so vague
or difficult to obtain that it is paralysing the blog.
I may/must add some more links and pictures after publishing the blog post.
 |
| A sight that upsets OBC and its "journalist". |
Cattle rustling
and auctioning scandal in court in Musoma
As mentioned in the previous (old!) blog post, on 26th October 2023, TANAPA rangers
from Serengeti National Park (SENAPA) entered village land - illegally turned
into a protected area in 2022, the operation of which is currently stopped by
the High Court - in Kirtalo, Oloipiri and Loosoito/Maaloni to rustle cattle. Later
it was reported that they also attacked Arash. The herders were forced at
gunpoint to drive cattle, sheep and goats to the Lobo ranger post far inside
the park, which took around four hours, and to build fences. When entering
SENAPA, at the same time you leave Arusha region and enter Mara region, which
is why the case is handed to a court at the other side of the national park,
usually in Mugumu, which allegedly is more likely to order auctioning.
The following day, cattle
owners, together with village and ward leaders, were held up at Klein’s gate
until finally allowed to pay for a permit (they have the permit number) to
enter SENAPA. At Lobo they met with a TANAPA/SENAPA representative called Shayo
but were not allowed to count the livestock. Their main concern was about how
to pay fines to have the livestock released. They had obviously not done
anything wrong. The criminals were the TANAPA rangers, but there were calves at
home, left without their mothers, and they needed to suckle. The agreement was that this
Shayo was to check with his superiors, but after the owners and the local
leaders left Lobo, he no longer answered his phone, and neither did any other
TANAPA representatives. They went to the TANAPA offices in Serengeti where
authorities refused to cooperate. Then they contacted the Ngorongoro MP
Emmanuel Oleshangai.
Shangai on 29th
October phoned and sent messages to Serengeti senior park warden Moronda
Moronda and to the acting head of TANAPA Musa Kuji asking them how the
livestock owners should go about paying the fines. He did not get any reply.
The MP also asked if TANAPA had filed any court case, and Moronda replied that
they were thinking about filing and would inform the MP about the court. Then Moronda
stopped replying.
Shangai got in contact with
Danstan Kitandula, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism who asked
him to send him a Whatsapp message with the details of the case so that he
could follow up, which the MP did. The deputy minister did indeed follow up and
informed Shangai that the SENAPA authorities had opened an investigation file
in Mugumu and were the same day going to court to find out the procedures by
which the livestock owners could pay for their own animals. The MP informed the
livestock owners that they had to attend Mugumu Magistrate’s Court, but when
the TANAPA/SENAPA officials found out that they were in Mugumu, they instead
went to Musoma to file a case asking the court to auction off the livestock as
unclaimed property. The livestock owners and local leaders heard about this at
midnight and in the morning, they went to Musoma to ask if there was an ongoing
livestock case, which court officials denied while preventing them from
entering the courtroom. After five minutes, they saw SENAPA rangers leaving
with a court broker called Maulid who was asked to announce that the livestock
would be auctioned before 10am on 31st October.
The MP was communicating with
the Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Angellah Kairuki, who sent him a
message that 806 cows, 420 sheep and 100 goats had been seized in Serengeti NP
and there was a case in the High Court. This number did not correspond with
what the livestock owners knew, which was 1033 cattle and 750 sheep and goats.
They had found out that the rangers had been selling livestock since 27th
October and that was the reason that they were not allowed to count them at
Lobo.
On 31st October,
the Resident Magistrate Court in Musoma, Magistrate Marley (Application Case
No. 10 o 2023) ordered the auctioning of the livestock held at Lobo as
unclaimed property. The livestock owners sought and got a stop order from Judge
Komba at the High Cort in Musoma on 1st November. Despite this,
Maulid Court Broker went on to auction off the remaining cattle! As seen by the
communication with Shangai, the Minister and Deputy minister of Natural
Resources and Tourism were being informed of what was taking place.
On 7th November,Shangai
spoke up in parliament about the ongoing crimes against pastoralists all over
the country and specifically about Loliondo/Sale and NCA. On 8th
November several human rights and indigenous rights organizations issued a
statement against the violations of pastoralists' rights and violations of
court orders. On 9th November MP Shangai told the press of his questions
regarding the cattle rustling rangers. His impression was that the rangers
themselves were buying the livestock and sabotaging the president’s effort in
her fight against poverty, precipitating the pastoralists into acute poverty.
Such talk about the president is somewhat embarrassing when it’s crystal clear
that it’s her personal anti-pastoralism and tourism cult that has led to this
situation that’s worse than ever before. Despite being unable to free himself
from the big green snake, CCM, Shangai has repeatedly defended his constituency
in parliament. Though I’ve been told that his behaviour outside parliament is
less impressive.
Minister Angellah Kairuki (I
have earlier misspelt her name as “Kariuki”) and Speaker Tulia Ackson on 9th
November largely acknowledged what the Ngorongoro MP has said, while adding that
it was an ongoing court case and they needed to follow up to be able to say
anything about the allegations.
On 10th November
Judge Komba delivered a ruling at the High Court in Musoma (Criminal Revision
No. 8 of 2023). Since there were no receipts, there was no evidence that
auctioning had taken place – I’ve been told that the rangers must now present
the livestock that were indeed sold, but without evidence - and the judge found
that procedures had not been followed since the respondents were in a hurry to auction
off the livestock. He reversed the auctioning order of 31st October
and ordered the matter to be heard interparty (instead of exparty when the
livestock owners were not present, or actually avoided). Since that I’ve been
totally unable to obtain any updates about the Musoma case. Someone mentioned
having heard that it was being conducted in writing since 6th
December, but otherwise there’s just a terrible silence, and promises of
information that I can’t wait for any longer.
On 12th November, the
press was invited when people of Mondorosi village handed over 95 cows and 339
goats/sheep to villagers whose livestock have been stolen on 26th
October and auctioned off. 260 (210?) cattle
belonging to the boma of Mzee Lengume have been taken, in the Orkimbai area of
Kirtalo, precipitating 17 households into acute poverty. Mondorosi, as a
village, is not one of those that have lost land to the illegal 1,502 km2
protected area, but still depend on this stolen land. Mondorosi (and Sukenya)
has a problem with the American company Thomson Safaris claiming an “Enashiva Nature
Refuge” on its land. The village chairman Joshua Makko spoke up with
seriousness on the 12th, like he for years and under threat used to
speak up about Thomson Safaris, until he was compromised in 2017.
 |
| Mondorosi |
Auctioning of cattle is the
worst kind of tragedy. From what I’ve understood, it’s much worse than getting
deep into debt – there are opportunistic lenders specializing in this – by
paying illegal and extortionate “fines”, and maybe even worse than losing the
land, since the land isn’t taken away, but will be returned at the same time as
justice returns, and can be accessed at night, when rangers for any reason are
less aggressive, or when temporary court orders are respected.
This is not the first case of
auctioning by rangers. The first time in Loliondo was in September 2017 and
previously unheard of in a district with pastoralist majority. Though that time
many of the victims bought their own cattle. There was a terrible case in December
2022, affecting Arash, failed attempts by rangers from the Bologonja ranger
post earlier this year, and the same ranger crime is committed in other areas
of Tanzania. TANAPA rangers from Ruaha National Park are apparently the worst
and have also a habit of killing herders! On 28th October, Zengo
Dotto from Mwanawala in Mbarali district was shot to death when attempting to
stop Ruaha NP rangers from driving cattle into the national park. In 2020,
Zengo’s brother Ulandi was murdered in the same way.
Other
crime against livestock since the latest blog post
As reported in the previous blog post, after the minister’s GN declaring a “Pololeti GCA” was on 19th
September found null and void by the High Court, following the president’s GN declaring
a “Pololeti GR” (which must be declared null and void for the same reasons) was
on 18th August stayed of operation (suspended) until determination of
the case, the Tanzanian government has been committing blatant contempt of
court also against these orders.
The NCAA (Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, that's managing the stolen land in Loliondo/Sale) rangers - assisted by
Serengeti rangers – continued illegally seizing livestock in November, but in
December I haven’t heard of any cases. Judging from previous silences this does
not necessary mean that such crimes are no longer being committed, but now I
have been told that livestock are indeed no longer being seized. Since there
have been good rains and there’s grass elsewhere, not that many are on the
brutally stolen land, so it’s difficult to know if legal action has finally had
an any impact on NCAA, or not.
The loss of livestock and
impoverishment has been horrible in Loliondo after most of the grazing land,
and particularly dry season grazing land, was stolen by the government right
before the bad dry season of 2022, expecting the Maasai to just squeeze into
remaining areas where there’re two towns with district headquarters,
agricultural areas, forest reserves, and Thomson Safaris’ ugly land grab. Many
have got into terrible debt since first TAWA rangers and then those from NCAA
(after the illegal protected area was placed under their management), assisted
by police and Serengeti rangers, have been extorting from livestock owners a
demented 100,000 TShs per head of cattle and 25,000 per sheep or goat for
grazing on their own land. Grazing has only been possible like thieves at
night, when large predators become a much more acute threat than at daytime.
After the High Court ruling on 19th September 2023, daytime grazing
started again.
As mentioned (see previous blog post,) the government issued its own malicious interpretation of
the court orders. In short, this consisted of claiming that the stay of
operation of the “Pololeti Game Reserve” meant that the land reverted to
Loliondo Game Controlled Area and – to the malicious part – this would
mean that grazing of livestock was not permitted without a special permit from
the director of wildlife. Loliondo GCA has always been village land and never
restricted human activities. The government’s “reasoning” would imply that everyone
in Wasso and Loliondo towns, not least the DC, should be arrested for
trespassing. The statement with this “interpretation” was signed by Prisca J.
Ulomi from the office of the attorney general who was then sued for contempt of
court together with ex-DC Raymond Mwangwala, “Pololeti” “conservator” Pius
Rwiza, Robert Laizer, in charge of the rangers at Lengijape, Arash and David
Mkenga who’s in charge of the rangers at Klein’s gate, Ololosokwan.
On 27th October,
the government tried its malicious interpretation in court. The
Director of Public Prosecutions sought to auction off 48 heads of cattle, 304
sheep and 350 goats that has been seized grazing in Loliondo Game Controlled
Area, village land in Arash. This application was withdrawn on 1st
November since it had no legal ground at all. Instead, the hurried auctioning
of livestock in contempt of court went on in Musoma (see above).
On 28th October, high
numbers of cattle were seized in Malambo, Irkarian and Sanjan by the criminal
NCAA rangers, and released after extortionate “fees” were paid.
In Ndutu, Ngorongoro division
(NCA, not Loliondo/Sale), on 1st November, rangers attempted
to drive cattle into Serengeti. Herders that first were hiding when they saw
the NCAA vehicle approaching got out to stop the crime and the rangers instead
arrested five warriors that were released after paying 300,000 TShs.
On 6th November, the
NCAA cattle rustling rangers again seized cattle in Ololosokwan and Arash. Some
1,000 cows that I think were released after “fines” were paid. On 10th
November, the rangers seized some 100 cows in Arash ward, but released them
after being given a bribe of 2 million TShs.
On 29th November, I
got a photo of cattle that had been seized in Ololosokwan, but without any information
on exactly where, how, or whose. Then there have been no more reports.
In a statement regarding an
article in the Jamhuri, on 28th November (see below), NCAA was boasting
about between January and November 2023 having seized 6,165 goats and sheep,
13,217 heads of cattle, and extorted 785,475,000 TShs in “fines”.
Women’s
protest and men’s silence in Ololosokwan
7th-11th
December, hundreds of women in Ololosokwan held protests about the theft of
land and livestock, and some 1000 cattle that had been detained for over a
week. This was after all literate on the ground activists had gone silent in
social media. The latest information I got was vague, so vague that it’s
unusable, and about cattle seized on 29th November. According to a
clip that was later shared, the women had been struggling for three days to convey
their problem to the public. In large number they had even blocked the
road. Nobody on the ground in Ololosokwan could have missed their protests –
but still none of the social media dwellers from Ololosokwan reported
anything – and they are many and all male. Only one of the braver kind of NGO
representatives (from Ngorongoro division, not Ololosokwan or even Loliondo)
shared the clip on Twitter on 16th December, but without detailing
from when it was. Though it had subtitles in English and was obviously meant to be shared internationally, when it wasn't even shared by anyone from the village ... I tried in vain to get in touch with him, but he was not
online. The mention of Bologonja where cattle were locked up earlier this year,
and the fact that nobody else was sharing the clip, or sharing any information
at all, made me unsure. On the 19th a newsletter in English by some
NGO people (I don’t know exactly who) detailed that the protests were held 7th– 11th December, which made me madly furious about the silence. Then
I’ve got some “explanations” that are so confused that I can’t even write about
them, or maybe it’s I that don’t understand.
OBC are still
complaining, and their own private “journalist” is back
On 21st November,
the “journalist” Manyerere Jackton in the Jamhuri newspaper, as he’s done in
over 60 articles, was again writing about Loliondo on behalf of OBC. Since
around 2010, with increased activity when Kagasheki’s threat was stopped in
2013, and whenever OBC long-time plan to have the Maasai evicted from the
1,500km2 of grazing land was felt as endangered, and with apparent
contented silence when major human rights crimes were being committed, this
“journalist” has viciously incited against the Maasai as destructive and
non-Tanzanian, and published lists of hundreds of Maasai, private individuals,
that his sources regard as “Kenyan”. Jackton has gone as far as claiming that
70% of the Loliondo Maasai are not Tanzanian. He has in the most deranged way
slandered anyone suspected of being able to speak up for land rights. Besides
running OBC’s errands, he’s filled up his articles with his own fabrications,
sometimes for no apparent reason at all. Around 2016-2018, he was openly
boasting about being directly involved in illegal arrests of innocent people
and used to send me triumphant one-liners when someone had been arrested. After
OBC’s director Isaack Mollel in 2019 was locked up in remand prison and
extorted for plea bargaining, Jackton was much toned down, and after Mollel was
out and back at work, the plan of getting rid of the Maasai had already started
to look more promising, and there were no longer many articles.
OBC, after having achieved the
brutal and totally lawless eviction of the Maasai from the preferred hunting
area, and the creation of a fake and illegal “Pololeti Game Reserve”, have
again obviously directed themselves with complaints to their own personal
“journalist”. Apparently OBC don’t feel they are being appreciated enough and
the worry is that NCAA, that are managing the illegal protected area since
September 2022, are favouring other investors, namely &Beyond (Klein’s
Camp) and Taasa Lodge. This is all a squabble between spoilt criminals
operating on brutally and illegally stolen land. They must all be chased
away when the land is returned!
The South African &Beyond
used to have a contract with Ololosokwan, that was basically legit, but more
problematic than described by some neoliberal researchers that have since
become even worse. &Beyond (CC Africa) got hold of 25,000 acres (101km2)
fraudulently grabbed by another investor in the early 1990s. In 1999 they
handed back the land to the village and instead leased it, which even when the
government and OBC saw the contract as “illegal” went on until the brutal and
illegal demarcation as a protected area in 2022. There have sometimes been
emergencies when &Beyond was perceived to be scheming something, elite
capture, or when they’ve wanted the whole area, and not only around the camp to
be free of livestock. Now Klein’s camp is found in the fake and illegal game
reserve and fees are no longer being paid to the village.
Taasa Lodge (formerly Buffalo
Luxury Camp) were operating in a more illegitimate way. In 1982, a supposed
tourism investor called Jubilate Munis grabbed 60 acres (0.24km2) of
Ololosokwan village land and then he disappeared. In 2007, appeared the
presumed brothers Ally Msami and Hussein Ali claiming to be the sons of
Jubilate Munis, which was highly unlikely, but they became friends with
the councillor at the time, stayed despite of protests and built Buffalo Luxury
Camp, managed by Unique Safaris. They entered a partnership with the two
Americans Jim Roane and Peter Taunton. There was a disagreement, including a
court case, and eventually Ally and Hussein left Buffalo Luxury Camp that
changed its name to Taasa Lodge. Taasa started scheming to obtain a lease for a
7,000 acres (28km2) private concession from Ololosokwan village,
working with the village government and employing many local people. For some
time in late 2017, they were lying to their clients that they already had such
a concession. However, that kind of lease was already before the massive
illegal land alienation in 2022, simply not compatible with local pastoralists' livelihoods, and Taasa were directed to use the same area as &Beyond. Now,
when writing this blog post, I had a look at their website, and saw that they
are lying that they are operating in a WMA! I also discovered that I’m blocked
from Taasa’s Facebook page. Other problems with this investor are reports of
involvement in the seizing of livestock, which the manager, Melau Laltalia (a
Maasai from Makame in Kiteto) denies in private messages. Like &beyond.
Taasa are now operating in the fake and illegal game reserve. Apparently,
representatives from Ololosokwan have managed to meet the owner Jim Roane and
the Tanzania director Ian le Roux to complain about the manager’s work as a
government informant about livestock and threats against local leaders, and
they are waiting for feedback.
In short, since it’s not what
I should be losing my time on, OBC’s complaint that’s put forward by Manyerere Jackton
in the article, is that they have the hunting block, that’s now reduced to the
brutally and illegally demarcated game reserve just like they’ve been
lobbying for since at least 2009, and no tourism investors should be
operating there without their permit, but this is something they were
complaining about long before they got their illegal game reserve. Further,
some NCAA people, during the illness of the terribly cruel, anti-Maasai former
chief conservator Freddy Manongi, are supposed to have presented a zoning
proposal that would reduce the area where hunting is allowed to “only” 799 km2.
The “journalist” claims to have talked with the new chief conservator Richard Kiiza
and with the Permanent Secretary of Natural Resources and Tourism, Hassan
Abbas, but that those two haven’t heard anything about such a zoning proposal. Further,
Jackton claims that sources from the ministry have told him that OBC’s yearly
fee has been raised from 60,000 US dollars for the 4,000 km2 Loliondo GCA to 500,000
US dollars for the 1,500 km2 “Pololeti GR”, to discourage the investor, who was
not discouraged. That raise seems cheap for the government breaking
every law and violating every human right to accommodate OBC’s long-term wish
for a 1,500km2 game reserve. OBC’s director Mollel is quoted saying
that the fees have been paid, but that OBC are not being granted their “rights”
via any letter of recognition. Apparently, they have now got a lease of 15
years, starting January 2023. Remember that in 1993, 10 years was a scandal …
Most worrying is that Jackton
writes that &Beyond claim the right to use 250 km2 in the
Klein’s area, leaving 57 km2 to Taasa that will have the right to extend this
when a WMA is started in Ololosokwan! A WMA is the last thing needed. The
stolen land must be returned, not increased with a WMA! Further, he writes that
Taasa are expecting this WMA! And indeed, on their website they already pretend
to be operating in a WMA. Like &Beyond, they also want Klein’s airstrip
reopened and a permit to do night game drives as in the past. The spoilt
criminals according to the “journalist”, even have the audacity to ask about
“their” 60 acres. Judging by this “article”, only OBC seem to have some sense (!),
saying that a WMA will be difficult due to differing attitudes among villagers.
It's telling
that neither & Beyond nor Taasa, while they can complain about Klein’s
airstrip, have one word to say about the brutal land alienation and human
rights violations. Not even in Jackton's imagination have they got any
complaint, or he would otherwise use it against them.
Manyerere Jackton obviously
speaks for OBC, but usually adding what he thinks will please this
investor, filling out with details that often are unnecessarily incorrect and even
apparently irrelevant free flowing fabrications. I’m not getting much help with
analysing. I’m just told that OBC want TAWA instead of NCAA, while another
person told me that they (the investors) are fooling us all, and there’s no
real disagreement, if I understood correctly.
It could also be a case that
official and unofficial OBC staff, central government representatives in
Loliondo included, want to stir things up, as they used to do, implying that
only OBC care for the environment, but are not being sufficiently appreciated –
to increase the flow of funds from Dubai. Such stirring up has repeatedly led
to a worsened human rights situation.
NCAA
responds to the Jamhuri and proudly admits its cruellest crimes
In the 28th
November to December 4th issue of the Jamhuri, Manyerere Jackton
continued with the same complaints on behalf of his cry-baby billionaire
protégées. The focus was even more on how everything had deteriorated after NCAA
took over management of the brutally and lawlessly created “Pololeti Game
Reserve”, and how OBC isn’t properly appreciated. The journalist goes on about
how NCAA has introduced other investors that aren’t paying fees, how security
against poaching and other crimes has declined after NCAA took over, even when
OBC have continued supporting anti-poaching and gifted NCAA with three
Landcruisers, that tourists are entering illegally from Kenya, that the “game
reserve” is full of livestock, and that OBC aren’t even mentioned on NCAA’s
road signs. He claims that before NCAA took over there was wildlife everywhere,
rhinos included. Obviously, Manyerere Jackton also agrees with the government’s
very malicious and illogical interpretation of the ruling in the High Court and
says that NGO activists and livestock owners are encouraging illegal grazing. While
I could not get hold of the article until it was uploaded by the paper, NCAA issued a reply already the same day.
NCAA (correctly) says that the
investors are the three that were there when they were granted the management
on 23rd August 2022 and that all of them are paying taxes and fees,
that there isn’t any evidence of Kenyan tourists, since the border crossings
aren’t for tourists, that only those in charge can know how many rangers there
are, but the numbers of seized livestock speak clearly. NCAA deny any poaching and say that the only
“crime” is invading livestock. The
vile criminals literally boast about between January and November 2023 having seized
6,165 goats and sheep, 13,217 heads of cattle, and extorted 785,475,000 TShs in
“fines”. I suppose that this does not include livestock released after
lower on-the-spot “fines”.
Hooligan
judges dismiss contempt of court application in the East African Court
On 15th November, in
just one minute, the judges in the first instance division in the East
African Court of Justice dismissed Application No.2 of
2022, a contempt of court application arising from Application No. 15 of
2017, filed in September 2017, during the brutal and illegal mass arson
operation on village land that started in August 2017. There was no
explanation, but a “reasoned” version of the ruling was promised for 30th
November.
On 25th September 2018 – a
year after the illegal operation that went on from 13th August to 26th
October 2017 with arson, beatings, rape, arrests, seizure of cattle, and
blocking of grazing areas and water sources in a very bad drought - the court
finally … issued an injunction restraining the government from evictions,
destruction, and harassment of the applicants. Never has contempt of court been
more crystal clear than in the violation of this injunction. The application
was filed in January 2022 when Arusha RC Mongella had issued public and
vociferous threats about the 1,500km2 of village land and “painful
decisions for the wider interest of the nation”. The attempts by then DED Mhina
of intimidating village chairpersons to withdraw Reference No.10 of 2017, the
main case concerning the mass arson of that year, were included. Then
supplementary affidavits were filed after the threats were implemented in the
worst way imaginable. Though there were very serious violations already in
November and December 2018 when soldiers working for OBC burned bomas in
Kirtalo and Ololosokwan, and the threat in the NCA Multiple Land Use Model
review proposal, presented in September 2019 by chief conservator Manongi, was
very specific indeed about the 1,500km2 in Loliondo, detailing both a protected area in two parts and an annexation to NCAA, which is how the land theft was brutally committed in 2022.
The “reasoned” version of the
ruling was on the affidavits presented in January 2022, excluding those about
the brutal and lawless land theft, for procedural reasons. Still, the contempt
of court is clear, but the judges, for reasons known to themselves, ruled that
it was not. Even worse, the applicants’ lawyers were NEVER given a chance to
argue the application in court! There was a hearing in Kampala in November
2022, in which the government came up with nonsense preliminary objections that
the court was to rule on. Instead, a year later, the judges ruled on the merits
of the application that had never been argued in court! Why? Are they lazy and
unconcerned and just wanted to get rid of the case, or underfunded and overwhelmed?
The slowness of this regional court makes it seem as if it almost not
operational. One of the judges, as in the demented ruling on Reference No.10 of
2017 was Nyachae who’s the son of an infamous grabber of Maasai land in
Kenya.
This ruling was even
stupider than the one that dismissed Reference No.10 of 2017, and which the
appellate division has now sent back to the trial court.
A significant
win in the appellate division of the East African Court of Justice
On 29th November, the
Appellate Division of the East African Court of Justice allowed Appeal No.13 of
2022 and remitted Reference No.10 of 2017 back to the trial court. The court
also awarded costs to the applicants. The government must pay for it all – both
the appeal and the 2017 case.
The Appellate Division found
that the First Instance Division erred in failing to consider most of the appellants’
evidence in the form of applications and oral testimonies, including rejecting
their expert witness. The issues that will be determined are:
-Whether the eviction was
conducted in Serengeti National Park or their respective villages.
-Whether the acts, omissions
and conduct of the respondent violated the EAC Treaty.
-The remedies the parties are
entitled to.
I still – while it’s good news
indeed - have some problems with the ruling by the appellate division. It
describes the case as a conflict about the boundary of Serengeti National Park when
that boundary is known by everyone and described in detail in GN No.235 of 1968.
There have been some ugly attempts by TANAPA of moving boundaries, trying to create
illegal buffer zones, but the main conflict is about the 1,500km2 of
village land that was brutally and lawlessly stolen in 2022 and where over 241
bomas were arsoned in 2017. Not that the national park was correctly or fairly created,
but that’s another issue, for another time. Turning the case into a question about
Serengeti was an afterthought by the government, that was just accepted unquestioningly.
The Attorney General’s reply
to the case in November 2017, instead of lies about Serengeti, was based on the
lie that the 1,500 km2 had been turned into the kind of protected
area which it was brutally and illegally turned into, several years later, in
2022. This was also the lie that was being told by then Minister of Natural
Resources and Tourism, Jumanne Maghembe, during the illegal 2017 mass arson,
while the DC and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism were not hiding
the fact that the operation was illegally taking place in a boundary area on
village land, but saying that it didn’t have anything to do with the 1,500km2,
since PM Majaliwa was to make a decision about that, but that people were
entering Serengeti “too easily”.
My guess is that the change of
lie was caused by PM Majaliwa’s announcement in December 2017, not denying the
village land, but setting out a new strategy of taking it from the Maasai via a
“legal bill” and a “special authority”, about which not much more was heard,
and instead in 2022 the land was stolen via a military attack and a concerted, demented
terra nullius lie that it was an uninhabited protected area since colonial
times. Though, as mentioned, there were differing stories within the government
already during the 2017 mass arson, but nobody was then claiming that bomas
were only being razed in the national park.
The now overturned
ruling was accompanied by strange and chaotic behaviour by the judges. It was
first scheduled for 22nd June 2022, amid government extreme
brutality and lawlessness in violation of the interim orders issued on 25th
September 2018, but just the day before there was a last-minute postponement to
September 2022.
When the ruling finally was to
be read, the court ordered journalists to be stopped from recording. The
principal judge wasn’t present. Nyachae – whose father is an infamous
grabber of Maasai land in Kenya – read the ruling, that was also presided by
Audace Ngiye, and the judges Richard Muhumuza and Richard Wejuli, who didn’t
mention their particulars, and never presided during the hearing of the case.
Reportedly, there was one more unknown judge. With all this extra time for
writing it, the ruling didn’t mention the court’s own interim orders, only
considered a few Maasai witnesses whose testimonies it found contradicting and
insufficient, but without mentioning the extreme contradiction between the
attorney general in 2017 and the government witnesses in 2018. The ruling
mentions that one of the Maasai witnesses said he was acting chairperson of
“Kilolo” village and was informed that homesteads had been destroyed in
“Olototokum” village. Such villages don’t exist but refer to “Oloirien” and
“Ololosokwan” respectively. Did anyone even understand what the
witnesses were saying?
The judges (in September 2022)
dismissed Reference No.10 of 2017 Ololosokwan Village Council & 3 Others
versus the Attorney General of the United Republic of Tanzania, since they
found that the Maasai had failed to prove that the evictions operation in 2017
took place on village land and not in Serengeti National Park, as claimed by
the government’s witnesses in 2018.
Such a ruling should just not
have been possible when even the government’ own, very public, documents so
clearly show that the 2017 illegal mass arson was indeed committed in the 1,500
km2 area of village land:
-The DC’s official order.
-The press statement by the
Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.
-The 2017 operation map by
TANAPA, very clearly.
-The DC quoted in the
anti-Maasai press.
-And the attorney general’s
response to Reference No. 10 of 2017 in November the same year.
These issues are not mentioned
in the ruling in the appellate division, or by hardly anyone … They are just what’s driving me
mad.
Only one ruling has ever been evenstupider and that was the one dismissing Application No.2 of 2022, the
contempt of court case, on 15th (and 30th…) November
this year (see above).
But now there will be a
re-trial of the 2017 case, when an even worse atrocity was committed in 2022,
and is ongoing.
Other court cases
In the East African Court of Justice there are also the cases Reference No. 37 of 2022 Megweri Mako & 5 Others vs. Attorney General of Tanzania regarding “Pololeti Game Controlled Area” and Reference No. 29 of 2022 Thadeus Clamian vs. Attorney General of Tanzania regarding illegal and suffocating restrictions in Ngorongoro Conservation Area. There is not yet anything scheduled for these two cases.
As mentioned, the ruling in Misc.
Civil Cause No. 21 Of 2022 Ndalamia Taiwap & 4 Others vs. Attorney General
& Minister for Natural Resources & Tourism was that “Pololeti GCA”
is null and void, since mandatory consultation was lacking, and the president's
decision to on 14th October 2022 (when court cases against the
minister’s GCA had already been filed) declare a “Pololeti Game Reserve” on the
same land automatically repealed its status.
Misc. Civil
Cause No. 178 of 2022 Latang’amwaki Ndwati & 7 Others vs. Attorney General regarding the president’s GN No.604
of 2022 declaring a “Pololeti Game Reserve” was on 22nd August
allowed to continue and operation of the GN is stopped until the case is
determined (which the government is totally disrespecting). The government has
filed forged documents about “consultation” when establishing the “game reserve”
and several local leaders have filed affidavits rebutting such forgeries.
The contempt of court case
against:
-Ngorongoro DC Raymond
Mwangwala (now transferred to Rombo).
-“Pololeti”
“conservator” Pius Rwiza.
-Prisca
J. Ulomi,
Head of the Government Communication Unit, who signed the letter from the
attorney general’s office with the government’s “interpretation” of the ruling.
-Robert
Laizer,
in charge of the rangers at Lengijape, Arash.
-David
Mkenga,
in charge of the rangers at Klein’s gate, Ololosokwan
That’s Miscellaneous Civil
Application No. 106 of 2023, whichhas been postponed to 22nd
January 2024. Meanwhile, the Attorney General has filed Misc. Application No
204 of 2023 with intent to be joined in the contempt of court application, to defend those sued.
The ruling in the Oriais Oleng’iyo
enforced disappearance case is being appealed.
I keep screaming for updates
about the Musoma case (see above).
Sportswashing
in the Serengeti
On 8th November,
the Oakland Institute called out a case of “sportswashing” of the Tanzanian government’s
human rights violations against the Maasai of Ngorongoro and Loliondo. A luxury
tour of Serengeti and Ngorongoro 1st-8th December 2023, for
120 high-paying tourists with the attraction of a tennis match with John and
Patrick McEnroe. Initially a gala dinner with President Samia was supposed to be
included, but she was substituted by Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism
Angellah Kairuki. The president was again in Dubai. This time for COP28.
Already in February, according to PR material, she made some glowing comments
about this tour, but I haven’t found out where and to whom she did this.
Carl Shepard, CEO of the
company organizing the “Epic Tanzania Tour”, Insider Expeditions, when
contacted by Oakland talked about having the support of “longstanding elders of
the tribe” but did not respond to Oakland’s follow-up email about these
leaders.
My first reaction was that it
is how tourists and tourism companies have behaved since forever and for a
decade and a half only I have been upset about it, or so it feels, but this was
indeed a special case for the quite direct partnership with the brutal
authoritarian government and for the fact that the war against the Maasai is
worse than ever. And the high-level attraction added by John and Patrick McEnroe,
even if I had never heard about Patrick and only knew about John because of
temper tantrums in the 1980s, to people with some interest in tennis they are
legends. In November, Insider Expeditions had a similar tour, with 150 luxury
tourists, but without tennis. This too was covered by the Ministry of Natural Resources
and Tourism social media and the most embarrassing government praise team.
Initially these tourists were described as “investors”, but later changed to
“special tourists”.
McEnroe never replied, but his
manager did, and told the press (USA Today) that John “does not want to get
into politics”. The tour went ahead as planned, except that the president did
not attend the gala dinner. Too much has been happening and I’ve not properly
followed up. At least one Maasai from Ngorongoro participated in the
sportswashing, but sadly we are used to that kind of people. In his speech at
the gala dinner, McEnroe mentioned having received a call from President Biden
who for his 81st birthday wanted nothing more than to come to the
Serengeti to watch John and Patrick play. Then he added, “if you believe
that, I’ll tell you another story”, before continuing in a more expected
manner. Maybe that was a way of distancing himself from the political
propaganda he was contracted to exhibit. I don’t know. Minister Kairuki
reposted the clip on Twitter and her ministry posted it on Instagram with
pictures of Biden added.
Is Insider Expeditions really the
company organizing these repulsive, government involved, tours, or are they
taking too much credit? The Tanzanian Gosheni Safaris is clearly the ground
handler, their vehicles can be seen in pictures and video clips, but Insider
Expeditions aren’t mentioning them anywhere. Neither are Gosheni mentioning Insider
Expeditions anywhere but describe this luxury tennis safari as powered by
themselves, KLM and Serengeti National Park.
While it didn’t stop anything,
Oakland’s alert will certainly have made some new prospective tourists question
what exactly is going on in Tanzania. Unlike what most may say, and what it
looks like inside our filter bubble, not many people around the world have
heard about the Tanzanian government’s war against the Maasai. Much less is it
understood how absolutely central tourism is to this war. Defenders of land
alienation and human rights violations fervently adhere to “the broader
interest of the nation”, with great hypocrisy linking contrived environmental
concerns to the target of 5 million tourists by 2025, and religiously (this
word is not an exaggeration) referring to The Royal Tour – a cheesy travel
show, described as “authoritarian image management” by the researcher Alex
Dukalskis, and which in its Tanzania episode starred President Samia – as
responsible for any increase in tourists numbers. For such people the “Tanzania
Epic Tour” is an extension of The Royal Tour, which was of course also
mentioned by Minister Kairuki at the two gala dinners.
The case for a total tourism
boycott on Tanzania is very strong, but most potential tourists just don’t know
what’s going on and I’m not so sure that they would care when they don’t even
care about climate change. However informed they may otherwise be, the “because
I’m worth it”-feeling is stronger, and when it comes to Africa they are fed
with how beneficial their entitled, wasteful behaviour is for so-called
“communities” and for conservation. Still, we should call for a boycott to
raise some awareness, and to rattle the blood-soaked Tanzanian government.
By the way, a little over a
decade ago an academic asked me about university alumni tours using Thomson
Safaris and I made him a list. I thought he was planning something, but after
thanking me, I never again, to this day, heard from him (which probably had
other reasons than my list).
Denis Moses
speaking at TEC meeting
From 7th to 8th
December 2023, Tanzania Episcopal Conference held a human rights conference in
Dar es Salaam and extended invitation to the Maasai community representatives. At
TEC, the lawyer Denis Moses Oleshangay
talked extensively and eloquently about Ngorongoro, Msomera and Loliondo. The Catholic Church is one of the organizations most supportive of the Maasai, with
some exceptions. TEC's Secretary General Dr. Charles Kitima said that the
church will stand by the Maasai until the last one is forced out by the
government.
As repeatedly reported in this
blog with a bit more of detail than here, Germany has through the decades
supported the worst crimes by the Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and
Tourism, or through Frankfurt Zoological Society, actually instigated crime,
and not less so in the escalation of the war against the Maasai the past years.
In March 2022, the Ministry reported that the then German ambassador Regine
Hess had said that she supported the Tanzanian government’s efforts in
Ngorongoro. Hess never denied this publicly, and then she went on to, during the military attack against
the Maasai of Loliondo, on 6th July 2022, meet with one of the main
criminals and implementors, Arusha RC Mongella to talk about “cooperation”
between the two countries. Germany kept showering Tanzania with money and in an
elaborate ceremony in December 2022, with the criminals PM Majaliwa and
Minister Chana, Hess handed over 51 vehicles for the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Tourism. On 3rd August 2023, while boasting about
being the biggest bilateral donor in the sector, the Germans showered the Ministry
of Natural Resources and Tourism with 120 million Euros to keep making people
cry in “mainly the regions Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Selous and Nyerere as well
as Katavi Mahale National Parks and Corridor and Ruvuma Region.”
In the most open aggression against
the Maasai, the Germans, through FZS, funded and facilitated the draft Ngorongoro District Land Use Framework Plan 2023-2043 to
legitimize and further worsen, the massive, brutal and illegal Loliondo land
alienation of 2022, and to without any details or explanations present a similar
land grab at Lake Natron, while presenting the whole of NCA as a “reserved
area” that should have a 500-metre “buffer zone”. Despite threats, the
Ngorongoro councillors have now twice rejected this plan.
In October the German
president Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Tanzania and apologized for colonial
atrocities and mass murder over a century ago, which is good, but exasperating
at the same time as Germany funds and facilitates current colonial-style
atrocities. Though apologizing for old atrocities while enthusiastically
supporting current atrocities seems the be the German modus operandi
everywhere.
In connection with a field
visit organised by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and
Development (BMZ), Maasai representatives were informed by BMZ, KfW (German
development bank) that they had visited Loliondo and met with government
representatives and community, but it has not been possible to verify it. This
was in late September, but I haven’t written about it, since it wasn't supposed to be written about, which some did anyway. The Maasai were also informed
that the Germans have stopped funding of Ngorongoro District Land Use Framework
Plan 2023-2043. This is a “little” bit late when the councillors have already
rejected it twice despite of openly pronounced threats by the DC. I hope they
won’t fund a new plan but am not too optimistic. The Germans must stop funding any
land use planning in Tanzania, particularly in Loliondo, and FZS must not be
near where land use is being planned, anywhere.
Since the 2017 case is
mentioned in this blog post, also remember that in March that year, Minister
Maghembe and Serengeti chief park warden Mwakilema were telling a co-opted
standing parliamentary committee that German funds would only be released on
condition of turning the 1,500 km2 into a protected area. In
Loliondo 600 women demonstrated against accepting the German money and the
district council decided to follow their advice. Then while Loliondo was
attacked by mass arson implemented by Serengeti rangers – FZS’s partners - in
August 2017, a most revolting picture was published of the German ambassador at
that time, Detlef Wächter. The picture showed Wächter smilingly handing over
buildings for park staff in Fort Ikoma, in Serengeti National Park, to Minister
Maghembe, while commenting on the long and successful partnership between
Germany and Tanzania in protecting the Serengeti.
Better German
behaviour awarding Joseph Oleshangay
On 10th December
2023, the lawyer Joseph Moses Oleshangay from Endulen – one of those more
likely to call a spade a spade about Loliondo and Ngorongoro, and tirelessly dedicating
his time to most of the many court cases, received the Weimar Human Rights
Award in place in the town of the same name in Germany. Joseph was nominated by
Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker for his efforts in advocating for the rights
of the Maasai community in Tanzania. The award ceremony was livestreamed,
mostly in German. Joseph certainly spoke of both the dark legacy of Bernhard
Grzimek and of how German taxpayers’ money is being used. I don’t understand
much German, but think I understood that these issues were also mentioned by
speakers at the award ceremony.
Ngorongoro
division
As mentioned repeatedly in
this blog and elsewhere, but still ignored by far too many Tanzanians, in Ngorongoro
division, which is the same as Ngorongoro Conservation Area the government with
restrictions on every aspect of life, and illegal blocking of social services
is attempting to make the Maasai “voluntarily” relocate to other people’s land,
with heavy media propaganda about Msomera in Handeni – is NOT the same
as Loliondo/ Sale divisions where 1,500km2 have been stolen and people and
livestock are supposed to squeeze into remaining land. Loliondo/Sale have nothing
to do with Msomera.
As detailed in several previous
blog posts, in August there was a manhunt and mass arrests in Endulen ward,
Ngorongoro division, after a week of protests to demand a permit to renovate
the badly cracked Nasipooriong’ Primary School, and by extension the blocking
of all such permits since 2021, and the government provocateur and genocidal
inciter, Habib Mchange, was chased away from Endulen market. Those arrested
were held incommunicado for several days, many were tortured, and all were
questioned about why they were refusing to relocate to Msomera. Even the MP,
Emmanuel Oleshangai, was arrested/abducted and held incommunicado for two
nights. Later, when Tundu Lissu was blocked from visiting Ngorongoro division
on 9th September there were huge protests led by women and the
presence of the Field Force Unit was heavily increased. Glory Julius was
arrested and badly beaten. Still, those who were arrested must report at
Karatu Police Station every four days as a means of harassment and sabotage to
make them lose time and money.
COP28
Over 700 Tanzanian
“representatives” went to COP28 in Dubai. It’s not my area of expertise, but I
fear many of them are aiming at benefitting from carbon offsets. Remember how the “member of the Dubai royal
family” Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum in February this year visited Tanzania
and got a highest-level VIP treatment and a MoU for a carbon deal on 8% of
Tanzania's total land mass, after having entered the carbon offset business as
a novice in October 2022. By now his company Blue Carbon has obtained
preliminary agreements for huge areas all over Africa. Further, Carbon
Tanzania, that’s been in this business for a decade or so, and the dubious
celebrity/businessman/billionaire Mohammed Dewji have entered a deal with
TANAPA to somehow make carbon credits out of six national parks, Burigi-Chato,
Katavi Plains, Ugalla River, Mkomazi, Gombe Stream and Mahale Mountains. In the
best-case carbon offsets are just a scam in which polluters are made to pay for
polluting in exchange for hypothetically lowering carbon emissions elsewhere.
In the worst case it’s violence and land alienation.
We have all already
understood that land defense within the ruling party, CCM, is no longer
possible. This was further shown on 4th December when Thomas Loy
Sabaya was elected CCM chairman of Arusha region. As DC for Serengeti District in Mara Region in 2001 Sabaya
Sr. ordered evictions of 135 villagers from Nyamuma and personally set fire to
houses and food supplies. Sabaya is the father of Lengai Sabaya who has been
rehabilitated after as DC of Hai having engaged in extreme violent gangsterism
against opposition politicians and in 2021 was jailed for armed robbery. Unfortunately,
yes, these two criminals are Maasai.
At the CCM meeting at the Arusha
International Conference Centre, Yonas Masiaya Laiser (don’t know what he’s
doing in CCM…) bravely stood up to ask Sabaya Sr., referring to his time as
Serengeti DC, about the fact that the worst disturbance to Arusha pastoralists
is the alienation of land for protected areas. The question was shut down and
not allowedby
Namelock Sokoine who was the chairperson at this meeting.
Case
against Sifa Bujune dismissed
The case against the artist
Sifa Bujune for the song Mnatuona nyani (You see us as baboons) has been
dismissed. Sifa Bujune was arrested for incitement and then charged with
specifically the lines about Joshua Olepatorro as “false, deceptive,
misleading, or inaccurate”, violating the Cybercrimes Act.
15-year-old Joshua Olepatorro
whose upper front teeth the NCA ranger Elibariki Israel Namungu on 13th
August smashed out beating him with the butt of his gun is having problems obtaining
justice, since a criminal case requires cooperation from the police.
EU parliament
passes resolution
On 14th December, the
EU parliament passed a resolution on the Maasai communities in Tanzania,
brought by six groups of EU parliamentarians. The wording was brief, but very
relevant and factual (unlike a writing almost a decade ago). They urge the
Tanzanian government to halt evictions, allow safe return, respect land
right, rule of law and human rights, allow observation visits etc. Many thanks,
EU parliamentarians. I hope this rattles the criminal Tanzanian government.
The
usual government statement with shameless lies
The Tanzanian government was
so rattled by the EU resolution that the spokesperson Matinyi already the following
day issued a statement with the usual horrible lies, focusing on the
“voluntary” relocations from Ngorongoro division, and with even bigger lies
about Loliondo. There’s the usual about houses built and other wonders in areas
of relocation, without mentioning that the Msomera villagers weren’t consulted
and only informed at gunpoint when their land was handed over to Ngorongoro
migrants. Arrests in NCA are denied when even the MP was arrested/abducted for
two nights. Ridiculously, it’s claimed that the Maasai are relocated for their
own good since wild animals are a danger to them and because of the “necessary”
constrained development and economic activities in Ngorongoro, when those are
constrained by the government itself. Still, the government claims that it’s
offering all social services, when no renovations permits are granted since
2021, Endulen hospital is threatened with downgrading, clinics defunded, and
funds for schools transferred to Handeni. The spokesperson is also boasting
about that the government/NCAA is sponsoring university fees for students from
Ngorongoro division, when this has been stopped since April.
Much noise has been made about
that UNESCO will make a visit in January. UNESCO is one of the main instigators
of the crimes against the Maasai in NCA!
Resorting to extreme
lies, the statement says that nobody is evicted from Loliondo, since the
government has left 2,500km5 for the residents! As known, after the
brutal and totally illegal alienation of 1,500km2 of village land that’s
important grazing land, people and livestock are supposed to squeeze into the
remaining 2,500km2 where there are towns, agricultural areas, forest reserves,
and a very ugly American land grab. In the spoken version, Matinyi also claims
that Loliondo is 200 km away from NCA, when Loliondo/Sale is some 90 km from north to south and actually borders NCA.
The statement mentions good
relations with the EU, especially the commissioner Janez Lenarčič who
apparently has praised Tanzania and its president, which is very possible.
There are many ignorant, or worse than ignorant, people like that. Then the
government lies about the planned visit by EU parliamentarians that was stopped
by the government 24 hours before departure, since the parliamentarian did not
accept the government’s plan for a very controlled visit. The claim is
that there was a request for a visit, the government asked for time to prepare,
and then did not hear anything more from the parliamentarians. The statement
ends with again reminding of the upcoming visit by the terrible UNESCO and
denying the existence of indigenous people in Tanzania.
RIP
Michèle Rivasi
On 29th November French
EU parliamentarian Michèle Rivasi for The Greens
passed away following a heart attack. Michèle had been a strong supporter of
the Maasai and was one of the EU parliamentarians who were to visit Ngorongoro
and Loliondo but 24 hours before their departure on 4th September 2023, were stopped
by the Tanzanian government that had invited them. Michèle passed away the day before she was to return to Tanzania, as a tourist, circumventing the government, which is the only way to get to know the truth. May she rest in peace.
There's so much more to write about - like the TAWIRI conference for which OBC was a premium sponsor - but I'm too sad and tired.
Rest in peace our Kenyan friend and ally Lemayian ole Taiko. Gone far too soon, Nairobi, 19th December 2023.
Where is Oriais Oleng’iyo?
Susanna
Nordlund is a working-class person based in Sweden who since 2010 has been
blogging about Loliondo (increasingly also about NCA) and has her fingerprints
thoroughly registered with Immigration so that she will not be able to enter
Tanzania through any border crossing, ever again. She has never worked for any
NGO or intelligence service and hasn’t earned a shilling from her Loliondo
work. She can be reached at sannasus@hotmail.com
Updates
22nd December
In a press statement, leaders from Ngorongoro division rebutted the lies issued by government spokesperson Matinyi. https://youtu.be/k5eZuQ37cW
Boxing day
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