The Maasai of Ngorongoro Conservation Area Finally Made the Government Backtrack - How Much of the Promises Has Been Implemented? Can Local Leaders Refrain from Losing the Momentum via Mindless Praise of the President? And How Can this Movement Be Kept Up and Spread to Other Areas Under Attack by the Tourism Cult?

 

After an escalated attack (it escalated sharply but started decades ago) since Samia Suluhu Hassan came into office in 2021 - with blocking of all permits for repairs, building materials and motorbikes, strangulation of social services, transfer of funds to Handeni district, harassment by rangers and a campaign of ethnic hatred against Maasai in media and in parliament, all to make the Maasai “relocate” to other people’s land - the Tanzanian government had to backtrack to some extent when the Maasai of Ngorongoro Conservation Area blocked the Serengeti-Ngorongoro road on 18^th August, making tourism vehicles come to a standstill, and then camped out in their thousands for five days waiting for a promised response by the panicked government.

 

As reported in the previous blog post (that mainly dealt with the lies surrounding GCAs in the brutal land theft in Loliondo and how there’s a threat of repeating the same in several areas of Tanzania) it had been found that all voters registration update/polling stations had been removed from Ngorongoro division (the same as Ngorongoro Conservation Area, NCA). Then, while waiting to hear from the government it was found that a government notice (GN) signed by the president’s son in law had delisted all villages in the division. The government, after panicking when the passage of tourism vehicles was blocked, made some bizarre and deeply worrying moves to backtrack from this. The villages are no longer delisted and there have been promises to stop the strangulation of social services (some limited implementation has been seen), and to stop the habitual harassment committed by rangers.

 

Sadly, local political leaders, instead of more strongly condemning the torture of the past years and pushing for a speedier and more radical change in government policy, seem to have lost the momentum by engaging in mindless praise of the president.

 

We now know what can make the government backtrack: to directly target tourism. How can this be used to regain the brutally and illegally stolen land that in 2022 was alienated from Loliondo/Sale (do not confuse this with Ngorongoro Division/NCA)?

 

In this blog post:

The disenfranchisement

The protests

The government’s response – backtracking at last, but in a bizarre and dangerous way

Limited implementation and local leaders losing the momentum

Remember the 2020 elections

The horrible UNESCO and IUCN

Brief NCA background

Loliondo

This blog post is very long, but still I forgot to add some important aspect that I was going to write about, and some I did not yet know about. 

At the end I have added updates.

 

The Attack Against Loliondo Never Ends, the Government is Looking to Repeat it All Over Tanzania, Using Lies About GCAs, While Trying to Erase the Maasai from NCA by Taking Everything Away from Them, Now Including Voting Rights and Then Even Delisting the Villages - There are Ongoing Massive Protests

 

As so many times before, much of the focus (now obscured by needing to write about multiple other issues) of this horribly delayed blog post is to explain what a game controlled area is. This is important, since the government’s lies are so much centred on creating confusion around what such an area is. Now a government notice deregistering all wards, villages, and sub-villages in Ngorongoro division (not Loliondo/Sale) has been found, the government keeps spiralling into total insanity and I must publish this blog post and write a new one about Ngorongoro Conservation Area and massive manifestations since 18th August (to some extent also covered in this post). Updates at the end.

 

The crime by the Tanzanian government against the Maasai continues in Loliondo with almost all dry season grazing land in 2022 brutally stolen to create a game reserve lobbied for by OBC that organizes hunting for Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai. While operation of the illegal game reserve is suspended by the High Court until determination of the case, the government continues in contempt of court. The most dangerous enemies of the Loliondo Maasai (after the Tanzanian government), namely UAE and Germany, keep using charity as a weapon of war.

 

In Ngorongoro Conservation Area – not to be confused with Loliondo/Sale - the restrictions, denial of permits, withholding of funds for social services, and harassment, including not allowing opposition party meetings – all with the aim of making the Maasai relocate far away to other people’s land, while applying terra nullius/GCA lies to the people supposed to accommodate the Ngorongoro Maasai. Some of the Msomera villagers suffering this invasion have again spoken up.

It's been revealed that all voters register update/polling stations have been removed from Ngorongoro division (Ngorongoro Conservation Area, not to be confused with Loliondo/Sale), and Ngorongoro residents find themselves registered in Msomera village in Handeni. 

 

Now former Minister Kairuki did not want anyone to talk about the leaked presentation proposing four new game reserves, just in the northern zone, so I must remind about that horror. Meanwhile, there’s more imminent land alienation all over Tanzania.

 

At least the European Commission has started to understand what’s going on and removed Tanzania as eligible for an 18-million-euro project.

 

The almost purposefully hidden new case against the horrible land grabber Thomson Safaris is finally coming along.

 

A statement by the Tanzania Tour Operators’ Association combines support for and denial of the government’s crimes and makes the case for a total tourism boycott clearer than ever.

 

On 14^th August, President Samia returned the human rights criminal Pindi Chana to head the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.

 

18th August dawned with massive manifestations and blocking of the Ngorongoro-Serengeti road. These protests continue. I hope to very shortly publish a blog post about the disenfranchisement and protests in NCA (not to be confused with Loliondo/Sale), but it’s covered in this very lengthy one too.

 

A new age-set was introduced on the Ngorongoro Crater floor. Welcome Irmegoliki!

 

In this blog post:

-In court, while the government continues its lawlessness

-The Tanzanian government’s changing stories about Loliondo GCA while attempting to steal all dry season grazing land within it

-The crime of 2022 that does not end

-The leaked report to repeat the Loliondo crime in four areas of the northern zone

-European Commission removes Tanzania for eligibility for conservation funds for northern zone and tour operators openly defend the government regarding Ruaha

-The stinking UNESCO and IUCN engaging in GCA lies about the Loliondo land theft

-OBC becoming more visible

-Amnesty report about investors in the illegal game reserve in Loliondo

-Article in the Atlantic months ago

-Disenfranchisement and massive protest in NCA

-The president telling the origin story about her hatred for pastoralists

 

Thomson Safaris acquired by Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, New Report by the Oakland Institute, and a New Court Case Against Thomson’s Land Grab is on the Way

 

I have for too long, with too many distractions, been writing a new blog post with some updates about the brutally and illegally in 2022 demarcated “Pololeti Game Reserve” that’s taken away almost all dry season grazing land in Loliondo, again about how the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism wants to replicate this crime all over northern Tanzania, and about how the Maasai of Ngorongoro Conservation Area suffer all kinds of restrictions, withholding of permits and funds, and harassment to make them relocate “voluntarily” far away to other people’s land. To avoid another far too long blog post, I’ll break it up and first post some news about the ruthlessly hypocrite and pompously lying land grabbers that made me start this blog many years ago – Thomson Safaris.

 

On 16^th April, with mixed feelings I received the news that the Oakland Institute had published a new report, Capitalizing on Chaos: Thomson SafarisTightens its Stranglehold Over Indigenous Lands in Tanzania, about the American company, owned by land grabbers and ruthless hypocrites Rick Thomson and Judi Wineland for 40 years. Then on 30^th April 2024 a press release all over the internet announced that Wineland-Thomson, Inc had been acquired by Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc., a travel company that focuses on ship-based voyages, through its subsidiary Natural Habitat Adventures. I have no idea what the implications of this will be, but sadly it seems like Thomson’s “team” remains intact. The constant reference to Thomson’s excellent “brand name” is a resounding failure for the strategy of silence, lying low, and throwing allies under the bus, while setting all hope on uncertain court cases, and now even delaying a new case. Unless Lindblad Expeditions are as criminal and ready to work with a police state as Thomson and Wineland have been for so many years, they must stop business and immediately vacate the Maasai grazing land in Sukenya and Mondorosi villages, Loliondo division, Ngorongoro District, by Thomson named "Enashiva Nature Refuge", also called "Eastern Serengeti Nature Refuge". I have of course written to Lindblad Expeditions (without any reply other than some promotional emails for tourists).

 

Not Ngorongoro district, but must be mentioned, yet another atrocity in the Tanzanian government’s war against the Maasai, on 7^th May, the Kilimanjaro RC, Nurdin Babu, invaded 8 registered villages and demolished houses on land claimed by Kilimanjaro International Airport. A preliminary injunction for a notice of a coming court case had been denied and the violence that had been a threat since 1985 exploded, like so much is exploding under this worse than ever lawless, anti-Maasai, and pro-tourism government. Over a thousand people have been left homeless, children, mothers and the elderly in terribly wet and mosquito infested conditions. Livestock are being driven away to prevent capture and auctioning.

 

This brief blog post is delayed due to the delay of the court case, the preparation of which apparently is complete, but held up by an unresponsive CSO that’s supposed to do “vetting”. I have also had problems getting anyone to read the draft of this post to see if it’s suitable, fair and clear, but then at least someone did so.

 

When Tanzania is free and all stolen land has been handed back, I may write the truth about NGOs, or maybe not.

 

Some issues may in this blog post be insufficiently described to keep brevity. Read my summary, other blog posts, or ask me for a better understanding. Other issues must for the foreseeable future be kept vague.

 

In this blog post:

Thomson Safaris and my comments on the new Oakland report

Campaign victory for Oakland when World Bank suspends REGROW funding

Lastly,

 

UNESCO out of Ngorongoro, Remove the World Heritage Status NOW! Stop President’s Samia’s War Against the Maasai Everywhere! And Stop Harassing Joseph Oleshangay!

 

A joint UNESCO, IUCN and ICOMOS mission made a totally government commandeered visit to Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Msomera 3^rd – 9^th February 2024. The Tanzanian government has in a similar manner tried to hide what’s going on from a mission from the European parliament, the members of which refused and were no longer welcome. The African Commission of Human and People’s Rights went along with the government’s ridiculous ways in January 2023 and in Loliondo they were prevented from visiting a single victim of the brutal and illegal evictions of 2022. The UNESCO case is different though since this organization not only does not care about being misled but are the actual main instigators of the government crimes in Ngorongoro. This is how UNESCO always conduct their visits, avoiding the people of NCA, even when they this time for the first time, in the “State of conservation of properties inscribed on the of World Heritage List (Extended forty-fifth session Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 10-25 September 2023)” addressed “alleged” violations – that it claims to have received numerous letters about in 2021 and 2022 - urging the State Party to demonstrate, ensure and rebut.

 

I had hoped to be speedier this year, but as seen, this blog post is terribly delayed, and this is partly because I still haven’t seen any reports at all from the government side. Others who’d been expected to speak up have also been silent. Complete and confirmed information about other developments has also been too hard to obtain, while too much has been happening, and keep happening. I fear that I've left out several important issues. 

 

The government propaganda continues all over Tanzanian media, boasting about the “voluntary” relocation of the Maasai. The main argument is the totally government-created situation in Ngorongoro. It’s just perverse, but it seems like most Tanzanians who aren’t bad members of the worst praise team, or blinded by hatred against the Maasai, see through it.

 

Meanwhile, in early March a presentation to the minister of an assessment by the Ministry of Natural Resources of no less than four new game reserves in the northern zone of Tanzania was revealed. This is a proposal for spreading the massive, brutal and illegal land dispossession as committed in Loliondo to all over Maasai land. 

I must again add a reminder not to mix up Ngorongoro Conservation Area with Loliondo  where there in 2022 was a brutal and illegal military operation to alienate 1,500 km2 of important dry season grazing land as a protected area, which had been lobbied for by OBC that organizes hunting for Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai, and its rejected legitimization land use plan, funded and facilitated by Germany. This blog post is mostly about Ngorongoro Division/Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) where the Tanzanian government uses cruel restrictions, blocking of repair permits, illegal defunding of social services, and severe harassment to make the Maasai relocate to other people’s land far away.

In the early hours today, 31^st March, President Samia replaced John Mongella as Arusha RC. Good riddance! Mongella has been the official overseer of the war against the Maasai and must be dealt with in every human rights court for his leadership role in the Loliondo crime. The problem is that the replacement is Paul Makonda, who in his time as Dar es Salaam RC 2016-2020 became known, even internationally, as a hardcore criminal. After three years in the cold, five months ago, Samia rehabilitated Makonda as CCM Ideology and Publicity Secretary. What is the blood-soaked ogress with an illogical international image as a “reformist” really thinking?

In this blog post:

Unstoppable installation of Joseph Oleshangay as laigwanani

Joint UNESCO, IUCN and ICOMOS visit

UNESCO and Ngorongoro

2nd phase of the Msomera madness

Very brief NCA background

Loliondo

MNRT presentation of massive land alienation plans for the northern zone

Brief Background of the Loliondo Hunting Block and Long-Lobbied for Crime

 

This is a summary to refer to in an attempt to avoid far too long blog posts and it’s help for anyone writing about Loliondo. By necessity this means that important aspects may have been left out. I’ve tried to include what’s most important to understand the current situation. Please contact me for further details, or if you think I’ve left out anything essential.

 

Notice that this summary is about the illegal and brutal land alienation for a “game reserve” in Loliondo and Sale divisions of Ngorongoro District. Ngorongoro Division/Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) where the Tanzanian government use cruel restrictions and illegal defunding of social services to make the Maasai relocate to other people’s land far away is ANOTHER ISSUE, even if closely related in many ways. The cruel and stupid Msomera publicity stunt is NOT about the Maasai of Loliondo. I must soon write another blog post about NCA.

 

The criminal is the Tanzanian government that´s aided and abetted by investors, donors, and conservation organisations. Notably, OBC from Dubai have lobbied for the brutal and lawless creation of an illegal “game reserve”in Loliondo. The Germans and Frankfurt Zoological Society have a long history of working against Maasai land rights and recently very openly and shamelessly funded and facilitated a now rejected draft district land use plan to legitimize and extend the crime. Though the brutal land alienation drive is not restricted to Loliondo, or Ngorongoro District, or to the Maasai, but all rural Tanzanians with land that’s of interest to tourism are under serious threat, while the Germans boast about being the biggest bilateral donors to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. The land alienation drive has been going on for decades, but with the current government of Samia Suluhu Hassan, that’s running amok with a greedy and violent tourism cult, it’s worse than ever. Everyone considering spending tourism money in Tanzania seriously needs to consider what they are encouraging.

 

I’ve got almost all information about the early days from Navaya ole Ndaskoi and that from later years from hundreds of different people, most of whom would sadly not like to be mentioned at all.

 

“The minister” refers to the Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism.

Contents:

Mwinyi

Mkapa

Kikwete

Magufuli

Samia

 

Good and Bad Court News, Terrible Silences, Helpful Support and Continuing Injustice and Crime in Loliondo and Ngorongoro

 

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 too detained 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 10^th 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 17^th 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 14^th 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 14^th 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 14^th 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

 Brief updates added at the end.

Rest in peace Lemayian ole Taiko

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".

Partial Victory for the Maasai of Loliondo in the High Court and the Tanzanian Government Responds with the Most Destructive Contempt of Court, but Now at Least Some Criminals are Sued

 

On 19^th September the High Court in Arusha declared that the 1,502 km² brutal land theft called “Pololeti Game Controlled Area” in Loliondo was null and void for lack of consultation and for having been replaced by a “Pololeti Game Reserve” declared by the president. Besides that the same lack of consultation (including the abduction of all councillors of affected wards on the eve of the brutal and unlawful military demarcation attack) applies to the game reserve, it has its own court case with a court order to stop all operation until determination of the case. The relative independence shown by the court was a pleasant surprise, but it should not have come as a surprise that the Tanzanian government is lawless, issued a statement with its own “interpretation” of the ruling, increased harassment and threats, and after a brief reprieve, returned to seizing cattle and the situation is dire. Now those most directly involved, with concrete evidence of contempt of court, have been sued in their personal capacity, including DC Raymond Mwangwala.

 

The Tanzanian government, funded and facilitated by Germany (the Germans should not be allowed to get away with this …) continues its efforts to legitimize the massive, brutal and unlawful land theft.

 

The 77th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights is currently being held in Arusha and the journalist and activist Odero Charles Odero has there been harassed about his citizenship for speaking up about Loliondo and Ngorongoro. Then the ACHPR has been questioned for its government commandeered visit early this year and for not finishing its report. 

 

In Ngorongoro Conservation Area - not to be mixed up with Loliondo - restrictions and illegal suffocation of every aspect of life continue at the same time as incessant government propaganda to make the Maasai relocate. The people that following protests in Endulen were mass arrested are now harassed by having to report at Karatu Police Station every four days. The NCAA has again denied adulterated replacement salt, for which there were laboratory result already almost two years ago. At least it seems like the horrible chief conservator Freddy Manongi is finally retiring.

 

Almost every issue mentioned in this blog post needs to be written about in its own long blog post …

 

Where is Oriais Oleng’iyo?

The criminals just keep escalating their crime. When I had finally posted this blog post I got reports that TANAPA rangers had seized hundreds of cattle in the 1,500km2 area and driven them to Serengeti by force!

Updates at the end of the blog post. 

In this blog post:

The ruling - Miscellaneous Civil Cause No. 21 of 2022

The government’s malicious interpretation of the ruling

Grazing and violence after the High Court ruling

At last sued for contempt of court!

Odero harassed about citizenship at ACPHR session – with good events and traitors

Continued pressure for German-funded crime legitimization

The Germans MUST be sued for their relentless facilitation of violent dispossession

We also have the cases in the East African Court of Justice

Brief Loliondo hunting block background

Briefly about the 2022 threats leading up to the brutal and illegal demarcation

Briefly about the brutal and illegal demarcation of an illegal "game reserve"

NCA, bye bye Manongi, and the government again denies well-documented adulterated salt, UNESCO again

Apologies and reflexions on very long and horribly delayed blog posts

Manhunt in Endulen, Abducted MP, Tundu Lissu Blocked from Visiting Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and Maasai Protesting the Tanzanian Government’s War Against Them

 

Tundu Lissu made a glorious visit, against police orders, to Ololosokwan and Wasso, and was then illegally stopped from visiting Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Before that I had spent too long writing about other issues, mostly about how the Tanzanian government/Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) responded to over a weeklong peaceful protests demanding a permit to renovate Ndian Primary School in Nasipooriong’, Endulen ward in Ngorongoro division/NCA some of which was also covered in the previous blog post. The response is increased disinformation propaganda in media (from an already high level), sending to Endulen market government provocateurs that since early 2022 have engaged in an ethnic hatred campaign against the Maasai, and then mass abduction of any man found in Endulen ward, the elderly, the sick, the very young, with the “excuse” that they would have participated when Maasai warriors chased away the government provocateurs. 31 of those first abducted were for over a week held incommunicado and not taken to court. Even Emmanuel Oleshangai, MP for Ngorongoro, was arrested/abducted for almost three days. Then followed several other arrests/abductions, including that of village leaders. Violence, destruction, and theft by the rangers and police is an integral part of the operation. The denial of renovation permits is a tool in the government’s concerted efforts to by suffocation via restrictions and blocking of social services make life unbearable so that the Maasai “voluntarily” move out of Ngorongoro. Another round of threats and arrests followed massive protests, mostly by women, against the government’s blocking of Tundu Lissu from visiting NCA.

 

This is not to be confused with Loliondo/Sale divisions where the government is using other strategies in its war against the Maasai, with a brutal military attack to demarcate a 1,500 km² “game reserve” in 2022, after many years of lobbying by OBC that organize hunting for Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai, a local police state, several mass arson operations, “arrests” for the sake of intimidation, and on the eve of the illegal demarcation, abduction for over five months of councillors from the affected wards. Now the government and its German donors and facilitators are working hard to make local leaders accept fake and forced legitimation of this crime, which the councillors rejected, for the second time, on 9th September. 

Though it seems like the government is moving towards Loliondo-style tactics also in the NCA case.

There are several ongoing court cases against the brutal and lawless Loliondo land theft. The ruling in the judicial review challenging former Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism Pindi Chana's cruel and unlawful GN No.421 is scheduled for tomorrow 19^th September. Unless it’s again postponed, I must very soon write a new blog post about Loliondo. This one is mostly about NCA (Ngorongoro division). Update: Good news! The "Pololeti GCA" does not exist, which must meant that the "Pololeti GR" also does not exist!

EU parliamentarians who were to visit Ngorongoro and Loliondo were 24 hours before their departure, stopped by the Tanzanian government.

 

I fear there are important aspects that I’ve missed, but this blog post is already too delayed.

 

In this blog post:

Reminder of the protests at Nian Primary School

NCAA’s journalists kept “reporting”

Genocidal inciter chased form Endulen market

Manhunt in Endulen

Abduction of the MP

More government disinformation and propaganda

Visit by EU parliamentarians blocked by the government

Magic visit by Tundu Lissu cut short by the police

Manongi lying about ranger violence against Joshua Olepatorro

Flying Medical Service are back, at least temporarily

Cabinet reshuffle

Very brief background

Loliondo in next blog post

 Updates at the end.

Peaceful Protests at Ndian Primary School in Nasipooriong’ Demanding a Renovation Permit that’s Blocked in the Tanzanian Government’s War Against the Maasai of Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Government Responds with Extreme Provocation

 

Peaceful protests erupted and continued for over a week in Nasipooriong’ village in Endulen ward to demand a permit to repair Ndian Primary School. This is not about seeking funds but just to obtain a permit. No such permits have been granted since 2021 and this is a very calculated strategy in the Tanzanian government’s war against the Maasai. I’ve tried to provide a brief background to what’s going in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which is not to be confused with Loliondo where the government uses other war strategies. As this blog post kept getting delayed, Maasai warriors in Endulen provided some justice to “journalists” who have been employed in a campaign of ethnic hatred since early 2022.

 

On 22^nd July it was ten years since Moringe Parkipuny passed away to soon, and I forgot … I’m glad that he did not have to see this decade of escalating horror, but maybe he could now be proud of some people in Endulen.

See the end of the blog post for updates. NCA rangers are arresting/abducting any man they can find in Endulen. Even the MP has been abducted!

The MP was released on bail after almost three days, and the others after over a week. 

In this blog post:

Protests at Ndian Primary School

The government press

Action taken at Endulen market

Joshua Olepatorro whose teeth were smashed out by NCAA rangers

The Germans again boasting of their support for human rights criminals

Background to the government’s cruel relocation drive

UNESCO and the horrible Dr Malebo

Don’t mix up Loliondo and NCA!

The Royal Tour

Continued Violence and Mostly Silence in Loliondo and NCA, with Some Voices Raised on the Anniversary of the Brutal and Lawless Land Grabbing Attack on Loliondo

Good news has not been as plentiful as I hoped when Maasai representatives (the wonderful Noorkishili Nakero Naing’isa from Ololosokwan, Nengai Kilusu Laizer from Oloirobi, and advocate Joseph Oleshangai from Endulen) spoke truth to power in the EU parliament on 31^st May and the councillors rejected the draft district land use plan for crime legitimation. Though on the anniversary of the military attack on Loliondo, several people spoke to media and the seizing of livestock seems to have stopped for a while (and then resumed …), at least in Ololosokwan, even if the stolen land, which is the biggest part of grazing land in Loliondo can only be accessed by its legitimate owners as thieves at night. The Germans are digging in their heels in their defence of their funding and facilitating of crime legitimation and in Joseph Parsambei the Loliondo land rights struggle has got its worst traitor ever.

 

For several weeks now Tanzanian online discussions have been totally consumed with a Tanzania-Dubai Inter-Governmental Agreement that has recently been ratified by parliament. The bone of contention in the heated discussions is a deal with the Dubai state-owned company DP World to control Dar es Salaam port, other mainland ports, inland container depots ports, and related logistical corridor. The contract is indefinite, or unspecified, and Tanzania shall not, without prior consent of DP World, undertake any development project upon any of the said ports. Critics of this deal are being threatened, harassed and arrested, and everyone is talking about it. There is a connection to Loliondo, but sadly it seems like it has been reduced to saying that Loliondo was sold to Dubai, as if we were again in 1992.

Remember that in February a person who by Ikulu, State House, was referred to as "member of the Dubai royal family" Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum got a VIP treatment and a MoU from President Samia, VP Mpango and Minister Chana. Chris Lang of REDD-Monitor has written about the sheikh’s dubious company that aims to greenwash the UAE’s massive carbon footprint. 

 

It still feels like a nightmare that the brutally and illegally demarcated “game reserve”, which the “investor” OBC for years was lobbying for, does not go away and nobody is punished for abducting all councillors from affected wards the night before the brutal and lawless demarcation started and keeping them locked up for over five months, planting beacons in a rain of teargas and bullets, with beatings, slashings, cuttings, rapes and arrests. Thousands having to flee to Kenya, hundreds arrested and over sixty charged with bogus immigration cases that were dismissed – without any attempt at prosecution - months later, and nobody is held answerable. Destroyed houses, stolen motorcycles and smartphones, seized and even shot livestock and nobody is dealt with. Instead, it is celebrated in parliament. Many people are terrifyingly deep in debt after being illegally fined when their cattle have been seized on the stolen land for over a year now. Oriais Oleng'iyo – 84-years old at the time - who was last seen on 10^th 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, as mentioned in last blog post, dismissed by the judge. There are several ongoing court cases, so many that it’s hard for me to keep up, but I’m not getting much detail about them.

 

In Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Ngorongoro division of Ngorongoro district), that is still mixed up with Loliondo by too many people, suffocating restrictions and denial of social services is still the government’s strategy to “convince” the Maasai to relocate to other people’s land 600 kilometres away in Msomera, Handeni. Though both the Msomera villagers and the Ngorongoro migrants are increasingly speaking up about the unsuitability of this relocation. Dehumanizing ranger violence continues and is sometimes reported. In July, the rangers smashed the teeth of the child Joshua Olepatorro. Today, 31^st July, protestors at Nasipooriong primary school in Endulen demanded permits to renovate the school even at their own cost.

 

Also areas next to Lake Natron are under threat, as many times before, and sometimes I’ve written about it, but now I feel a terrible unease about not keeping up.

 

This blog post is unacceptably delayed because of too much and too little information, my lack of focus, and sadness over the silence. 

 

In this blog post:

Stolen grazing land and criminal rangers

Violence in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NOT to be mixed up with Loliondo)

 

The rejected, German facilitated, fake, and forced land use planning

For a brief reminder of what the Germans do,

The maliciously misleading and rejected NDLUFP document, including another Lake Natron threat

 

Anniversary of the biggest crime and various people speaking up on the record

A most disgusting budget speech by Mchengerwa

Amnesty report

Court cases

 

As always, updates will be added at the end.

 

This rubbish has been rejected.

The Tanzanian Government’s Brutal Land Theft and Cattle Theft Continue in Loliondo, Supported by German Funds, Suffocating Restrictions and Blocked Social Services in NCA, but the Maasai are Fighting Back, at Home and in Europe

 

On 19^th May 2023 the councillors at Ngorongoro District Council voted in unison to reject in total the utter madness of the government’s German-facilitated draft 2023-2043 Ngorongoro District Land Use Framework Plan that’s fabricated to legitimize the brutal land grab in Loliondo, and a private motion on suffocation of social services in NCA was supported by all councillors.

 

Currently a Maasai delegation is in Europe and will hopefully severely deal with those who are facilitating and encouraging the crimes by the Tanzanian government against the Maasai. This evening, 31^st May, they attended a public event at the EU Parliament: Forced Evictions in the Name of Conservation: the Role of the EU. I've never written as quickly as a wrote about this event ... (see below, under Maasai delegation to Europe) The evil, lying Tanzanian government representatives fuelled me. Otherwise, this blog post is terribly delayed.

More worrying is that the CCM Political Committee Arusha Region, with the implementor of the war against the Maasai, RC John Mongella, are currently touring the district, inspecting projects in Loliondo and Sale, and have already been seen in company of councillors. 

The land has not been returned and the Tanzanian government keep taking the livestock. 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. Almost a year ago, all councillors from affected wards were abducted right before the brutal and lawless demarcation started. Beacons were planted in a rain of teargas and bullets, security forces were beating, slashing, cutting, raping and arresting people. Thousands fled to Kenya, hundreds were arrested and over sixty were charged with bogus immigration cases that were dismissed – without any attempt at 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 10^th 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 17^th May dismissed by the judge.

 

The war against the Maasai continue with the government’s different shades of rangers going after livestock lawlessly seizing, fining, and even auctioning. Livestock will always have to enter the land, until the Maasai are no more, but that’s exactly what the evil Tanzanian government is working on. The other front is to make all local leaders useless by terrorizing, threatening, and compromising them. The fake and forced land grab legitimization goes on, facilitated by the Germans. This must have consequences for the amoral Bundesrepublik. At least local leaders seem to still be resisting.

 

In this blog post:

The cattle rustling Serengeti rangers getting away with disobeying court orders

Other cattle rustling by rangers

The anti-pastoralist president ranting again

German-facilitated fake and forced land use planning terror rejected by all councillors

Maasai delegation to Europe

Human Rights Watch investigating and speaking up, and some press

UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues where the Tanzanian government kept lying

Letter from the UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination

The very many court cases

Msomera villagers speaking up and a reminder of the NCAA threats that keep intensifying

NCA protest banners at visit by the VP

Don’t mix up Loliondo and NCA!

Briefest mention of colonial conservation elsewhere in Tanzania

Updates at the end of this blog post. 

The War Against the Maasai of Loliondo and NCAA Continues, there was a German-Facilitated Meeting to Legitimize it, Commission on Human Rights and Good Governance Visited, the Case of the Enforced Disappearance of Oriais Oleng'iyo has Begun, UNESCO, and More

 

It is not a nightmare that you can wake up from. The horror is real. The threat, lobbied for by OBC, that organize hunting for Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai, of taking 1,500 km² of grazing land from the Maasai of Loliondo - squeezing them into land with towns, agricultural areas, forest reserves, and a nasty American land grab – was last year implemented with brutality and lawlessness by the Tanzanian government. The ugly boundary beacons still stand there and the Maasai can only access their own land as thieves, risking terrible extortion by rangers, which is a risk that must be taken, since cows need grass. Oriais Oleng'iyo who was last seen on 10^th June 2022, with bullet wounds and held by security forces, has still not been brought back to his family. After the over five-month abduction on bogus charges of all councillors, except one who fled, together with people suspected of sharing information, there aren’t any local leaders who are speaking up against the crimes. Only the court cases resemble anything like hope. There is now further evidence (in case anyone had doubted it) that the Germans support the horror.

 

Ngorongoro Conservation Area with its NCAA rule and restrictions was something to avoid at all costs and a reason for resistance in Loliondo, but now most of Loliondo’s grazing land has been stolen from the villages and placed under the NCAA, with much worse restrictions, total restrictions. In NCA itself, with the specific and outspokenly hostile president, and the relocation drive to other people’s land 600 km away, everything has worsened, but "recently" there have been some visits by allies, which could maybe lead to something worthwhile.

NCAA rangers and leaders of so-called cultural bomas in Olbalbal and Endulen are involved in violent assault, including rape, against women who sell cultural ornaments independently, and I only got details about this last evening. 

 

The war against pastoralists, and other rural people, continues almost all over Tanzania. In Mbarali, Chunya, and maybe Iringa and Chamwino districts, some 48 villages (could be more) are threatened by the old extension decision (GN No.28) for Ruaha National Park. In Kilombero a massive game reserve was declared on 17^th February. In Tarime there’s been lethal ranger violence for decades and on 28^th March a demarcation operation on village land begun. In Nyatwali ward in Bunda there are eviction threats for extending Serengeti National Park all the way to Lake Victoria. Last year the government in the most lawless and irrational way planted beacons in several villages to expand to Kilimanjaro International Airport (there’s an ongoing court case). There’s extreme police brutality in Isela sub-village in Ndolezi village, Mbozi district from where people are being evicted for investment around a meteorite museum managed by the NCAA! This is far from Ngorongoro, in Songwe region, at the other end of the country. In Kalilani village in Uvinza district Mahale Mountains National Park is being extended into the village, and last year, at almost the exact time as Ololosokwan was attacked, rangers attacked this village with live bullets, which I didn’t get to know until 24^th March this year. And so many other underreported, and unreported, horrors.

 

Still, the crimes in Loliondo should suffice for a total tourism boycott of Tanzania.

 

In this blog post:

President’s son in law as new Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism

Extortion of herders continues

Where is Oriais Oleng'iyo?

Demoralizing tour by the MP

Land grab legitimation meeting facilitated by Germans

Crime legitimation meeting number two

Reminder about the Germans and why they must be chased out of the Serengeti ecosystem

Court cases

Reminder of the government commandeered visit by the African Commission of Human and People’s Rights

Visit by the Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance

Support and harassment in Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Beatings, rape, threats and silence in Olbalbal and Endulen, women terrorized by rangers and cultural boma leaders

UNESCO and the terrible Dr Malebo

Updates added at the end of the blog post.

Sorry for the delay in publishing this post. There's too much happening and it's too difficult to confirm much of the information. I may also be too slow and unfocused.