Worst Possible Loliondo Ruling in the High Court – Based on Deeply Malicious Terra Nullius Lies and Forged Documents

 

A month ago, the kangaroo High Court and Judge Nyigulila Mwaseba on every point by the Maasai dismissed the case against the president’s Government Notice (GN) declaring a “Pololeti Game Reserve” on 1,502 km² of legally registered village land that’s dry season grazing land for more than 14 Loliondo and Sale villages. This was done using the most malicious and deranged terra nullius lies about game controlled areas (GCAs) and obviously forged documents.

 

OBC, that organize hunting for Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai, has for decades lobbied to have this land taken from the Maasai. OBC has had the 4,000 km² Loliondo GCA hunting block (right to hunt) since 1992-1993. This covers the whole of Loliondo Division of Ngorongoro District and part of Sale Division, including two towns and agricultural areas, which is why OBC have wanted it reduced to their 1,500 km² core hunting area that’s important Maasai grazing land. The Maasai have through years with a local police state that’s harassed anyone criticising OBC and the American operator Thomson Safaris (that claim a private nature refuge outside the 1,500 km²), and illegal mass arson operations in 2009 and 2017, managed to keep the land until the advent of Tanzania’s most brutal and anti-pastoralist president ever – Samia Suluhu Hassan.

 

In the illegal demarcation operation by security forces that commenced on 10^th June 2022, more than 150 people were arrested and over 40 seriously injured, over 2,000 fled across the border to Kenya. People were tortured and raped. The security forces stole motorbikes and phones and destroyed houses and other buildings. Orias Oleng’iyo, 84-year old, was injured by gunshot, taken by security personnel and has not been seen ever since. The habeas corpus case filed by his son was dismissed. All councillors from affected wards were abducted on the eve of the attack and held for over 5 months, charged with murder for a killing of a police officer that took place the day after they were abducted. Random people initially accused of having shared pictures of the violence were added to the murder charges that the government didn’t show any interest in investigating and then just dropped after many postponements. All cases against 132 people accused of being "Kenyans" were also dropped. The government has boasted of tens of thousands of cattle seizures with extortionate “fines” (ransom payments) of 100,000 TShs per head of cattle. The loss of land, cattle, and the payment of “fines” has radically deepened poverty.

 

On 17^th June 2022 Minister Pindi Chana declared the illegally demarcated land a new kind of GCA (introduced in 2009-2010 to create confusion in which to steal land) that’s the same as a game reserve. With an ongoing court case against the minister’s new GCA, the president on 14^th October 2022, declared the same land a game reserve. The minister’s order was by the court declared null and void for lack of the mandatory consultation. Temporary orders to stop the operation of the game reserve until that case was determined were shamelessly violated by the government and the contempt of court case was dismissed.

 

The kangaroo court ruling signifies increased danger to areas all over Tanzania that are under threat of being alienated as game reserves.

 

A notice of appeal was swiftly filed.

 

The written ruling was almost immediately available and shared, so I have no excuse for being this slow, other than that new issues keep popping up with incomplete details and information is sometimes very hard, or impossible, to get hold of. I fear I can have missed a lot. Being sleepy and unfocused does not help but is not an excuse.

 

This blog post also has some updates about the implementation of government promises after mass protests in Ngorongoro Conservation Area/Ngorongoro Division (not to be confused with Loliondo), about other court cases, the distraction of a supposed squabble between TAWA and NCAA, and a reminder of the game reserve threat all over Tanzania.  

 

In this blog post:

The kangaroo court ruling

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

Other court cases

Currently

OBC’s “friends” working to have the stolen village land managed by TAWA

The monstrous game reserve threats

New protests needed in Ngorongoro Conservation Area

 

In the court room.

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