A joint UNESCO, IUCN
and ICOMOS mission made a totally government commandeered visit to Ngorongoro
Conservation Area and Msomera 3rd – 9th 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, 31st 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
