The Brutal and Illegal Land Demarcation Operation in Contempt of Court Continues in Loliondo. It Must be Stopped and the Beacons Uprooted!

 

With total lawlessness, massive deployment of security forces, senseless violence and shameless lies, the Tanzanian government continues planting beacons* in contempt of court to demarcate and alienate from the Maasai the 1,500 km² of vitally important grazing land that it – lobbied by OBC that organizes hunting for Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai - has attempted to steal so many times. This operation started less than two weeks before the East African Court of Justice is expected to deliver its ruling on 22^nd June. Many people have been injured, are missing or arrested, including local leaders who were lured by the DC and arrested the first day, kept incommunicado, and now charged with "murder" (for self defence exercised while they were locked up) together with ten others. This crime must be stopped, and the illegal beacons must be uprooted!

The ruling was the day before the scheduled date postponed to September!

In the evening of Friday, 24th June people are being told to leave the illegally demarcated area or livestock will be seized tomorrow! Please help!

 Updates at the end of the blog post. 

NEW BLOG POST on 7th July.

*Not sure if the word “beacon” is used this way everywhere, but they are concrete boundary posts.

 

Following the blog post that I’ve kept updating,

in this blog post:

The crime

Very brief and simplified background

NEVER, through decades of land rights struggle and an increasingly threatening government side, has any village council or village assembly agreed to a Game Reserve under any kind of name. Not even the most corrupt and “investor friendly” groupings (not that they’d have any such authority) have ever signed away the land for a Game Reserve. Losing 1,500 km² of vitally important grazing land would lead to such destruction that it just isn’t anything anyone can contemplate. The community reports handed over to PM Majaliwa on 25^th May, though over-ambitious considering the time frame, did certainly not agree to any Game Reserve. The PM was going to “work on the recommendations”, but instead the government went to war against the Maasai. A pattern can be seen in the PM’s behaviour.

 

Urgent alert: Massive Police Invasion and Imminent Threat of Illegal Beacons for a Protected Area in Contempt of Court in Loliondo

 

Never ever again dance to Majaliwa’s tune! It ends in tears however much he smiles and however clearly you explain everything to him!

 

Updates at the end, until I write a new blog post. The violence is horrifying.

New blog post 19th June.

Today, 8^th June 2022 (now it's so late that it was yesterday), high numbers of police vehicles from the anti-riot Field Force Unit, were in the morning sighted in Wasso town in Loliondo division of Ngorongoro district. The FFU, and others, have now set up camp in the Oloosek area of Ololosokwan and in Sanjan sub-village of Malambo. Unconfirmed reports also mention camps in Oloipiri and Arash*. Fears were (now confirmed) that the plan is to erect beacons to demarcate 1,500 km² of vitally important, legally registered, village land that the “investor” OBC, and others, want turned into a “protected area”. FFU were saying that they are sent to erect beacons for a TAWA area (Game Reserve), which confirmed the fears, later further confirmed in a nauseating clip by RC John Mongella. Such an exercise is a heinous crime and contempt of court. Reports say that in Oloosek there are 18 vehicles from the FFU, two from the Tanzania People’s Defence Force (that has a camp in Olopolun near Wasso), some from the Tanzania Wildlife Authority (TAWA)/Jeshi Uhifadhi, and others. In Sanjan there are 11 FFU vehicles, 3 from TAWA and 2 unknown. Numbers may not be exact and others may arrive. Reportedly, the FFU are also saying that they will extend OBC’s hunting area, also known as the Osero, into Serengeti National Park, which seems unlikely, and they may not have been properly briefed.

*Soit Orgoss in Oloipiri confirmed and Olchoroibor in Loosoito.

Pindi Chana in Her Budget Speech Announces Planned Contempt of Court in the Loliondo Case and Threatens Maasai Land All Over Tanzania

 

On 3^rd June, in her budget speech for 2022-2023, Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism Pindi Chana said that her Ministry expects to upgrade Loliondo Game Controlled Area to a Game Reserve. This is not only a criminal threat of violence and destruction of thousands of lives and livelihoods, but if in any way implemented, contempt of court in the case, in its final stages, in the East African Court of Justice. This comes only days after local leaders, on 25^th May, in their futile dance to PM Majaliwa’s tune - at the same time as those from NCA – handed in explanations that the land is theirs, that they need it, that they care for it, and that they aren’t going anywhere. As if Majaliwa, or anyone in the government would listen … There must be loud protests, more court cases, perhaps even a reclaim of Serengeti if the government continues like this.

 

This blog post is about Loliondo and Sale Divisions, not to be mixed up with Ngorongoro Division (NCA), even if the issues are closely related.

 

In this blog post:

Chana’s land grab attempt via budget speech

Earlier criminal attempts

Escalation in 2022

How?