Fear, Confusion, and Cautious Hope in Loliondo - and OBC’s Director Charged with Economic Crimes

In this blog post:

Reactions to the president’s statement

The very unexpected arrest of OBC’s director Isaack Mollel

Remaining questions about the attacks by soldiers in 2018

“Reasons” for the illegal arrests in January

Extreme police brutality

Now

Summary of osero developments of the past decades

This is another unacceptably delayed blog post that’s become too long. Much is happening, some very unexpected and somewhat promising, but exact information is harder than ever to come by. Those who know are silent, and even people on the ground in Loliondo ask me for information… Too many dots remain unconnected, and I’d need some assistance with this. For the first time since the 1990’s it looks like OBC are no longer untouchable. I hope to soon be able to write a blog post with answers to all the questions here, but for that I need some help.

Innocent People Have Again been Illegally Arrested in Loliondo

When the situation in Loliondo seemed to have calmed down after soldiers stationed at the camp in Lopolun had the week before Christmas again gone on violent rampage, beating up innocent people, and burning down 13 bomas in the Leken area of Kirtalo, somehow authorities decided that silenced and terrified people still needed more intimidation, and again engaged in illegal arrests. Innocent people were arrested for six days, which is very illegal indeed.

This blog post is unacceptably delayed for the usual reasons. One of them is that people keep telling me that I will get important information “tomorrow” and then such information isn’t delivered… 

Many questions remain unanswered.

In this blog post:

Illegal arrests

Sensationally good, and the same time absurd, statement by RC Gambo

Aborted visit by the King of Morocco

Conservation Watch interviewing Germans that say that Mwakilema lied in March 2017

Summary of osero developments of the past decades
Update 15^th January: the president suspends exercise to remove villages in protected areas

Release Clinton and Ingrid! Stop insanity and abuse in Loliondo!

Multiple horrible abuse has been going on in Loliondo, and I’m working on a very delayed and very long blog post, full of incomplete information. I must however now write about the most malicious and stupid ongoing illegal arrests that people were shockingly silent about for days, and ask anyone who can help to please do so.

Update: Clinton and Ingrid were released Monday afternoon 17/9 after three and five nights of illegal arrest. I hope more details will follow.

I want to make it clear that I had hardly even heard about Ingrid before the arrest, and have never had had communication with her whatsoever, before or after.

More updates below.

On Friday 14^th September I got an email with a short greeting from Manyerere Jackton, the “journalist” who has written over 50 articles full of hate speech against the Maasai of Loliondo. This only happens when he’s up to something bad, like another defamatory article in support of land alienation to benefit the “investor” in Loliondo, or illegal arrests of real or imagined friends of mine. He wanted to know if I was in Loliondo. Later the same day I was contacted by people saying that some “investor friendly” individuals were commenting that I had been arrested after crossing the border in Ngaresero, in the vehicle of an NGO… This was “interesting” to hear when I was sitting at home in Sweden being sad because I hadn’t been invited to a wedding in Kirtalo, even if I wouldn’t have been able to attend it, or anything else in Tanzania, anyway, ever.

Intimidation and Illegal Arrests to Derail the Case Filed Against the Tanzanian Government by Four Loliondo Villages

In this blog post:

“Secret” intimidation and illegal arrest campaign
eNCA piece about Loliondo - husband of interviewed family currently in police custody

The hearing

Another, maybe unrelated, wave of arrests

Kigwangalla’s budget presentation and the timid opposition reaction to Loliondo

Oakland’s response to the Tanzanian government

Manyerere Jackton again

What has happened? (summary that’s very useful for newcomers)

Since the intimidation campaign to derail the case in the East African Court of Justice, for some inexplicable reason, was kept a secret for weeks, I have got more details after publishing this blog post, and those have been added in this text colour. 

I was to post a delayed blog post about Thomson Safaris, but it will have to wait a bit longer.

More about Lawlessness in Loliondo

More illegal arrests and malicious prosecution.

Cows detained and owners extorted.

Visits by big people.

Too much silence.

As the update to the previous blog post says, the bizarre espionage and sabotage case against four people accused of having been in contact with me was postponed until 17^th October. The Public Prosecutor, despite of having been ordered by the Court to deliver complainant statement according to section 9 (3) of Criminal Procedure, failed to deliver this, but the case will come on 17^th October 2016 to see the status of the prosecution case. There’s an agreement that this case needs to be conducted on speed. It would be helpful to have media present in the court room. Who can make some journalists go to Loliondo?

Repression Against Land Rights Activists in Loliondo is Worse Than Ever

The past month there have been several illegal arrests of pastoralist human rights defenders in Loliondo division of Ngorongoro District, Tanzania – where foreign investors threaten land rights – and four people have been charged with baseless charges. Even a lawyer assisting these victims of ridiculous, but very dangerous, malicious prosecution has been targeted. Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition is calling for wider condemnation of the ongoing harassment.

Update 2 September: The case was postponed until 17^th October.

The Public Prosecutor despite of having been ordered by the Court to deliver complainant statement according to section 9 (3) of Criminal Procedure , failed to  deliver this, but the case will come on 17^th October 2016 to see the status of the prosecution case. There’s an agreement that this case needs to be conducted on speed.

Multiple Illegal Arrests of Innocent People in Loliondo for the Sole Sake of Intimidation

Help is needed.

updates at the end.
Clinton Eng’wes Kairung – secondary school teacher from Kirtalo, working in Digodigo - was arrested on 13^th July, and was then out (temporarily) on 15^th July. Clinton is my friend and the purported reason for this arrest was having met me in Olpusimoru, Kenya, which obviously isn’t a crime in any way. As usual, coordination and information sharing has left a lot to be desired. Clinton was arrested again on 19^th July.

Supuk Maoi – secondary school teacher working in Loliondo - was arrested on 14^th July and continues locked up. Also his arrest is said to have to do with me. I have not met Supuk during my recent trip to Kenya. Unlike Clinton, Supuk often speaks up publicly and online about various Loliondo issues.