The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) and FIAN Germany view the reports from two presidential commissions in Tanzania with great concern. These commissions recommend large-scale resettlement of the indigenous Maasai from key protected areas such as the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the north of the country. In the view of the human rights organizations, the commissions’ proposals are in clear contradiction to fundamental human rights standards and the rights of Indigenous Peoples. They call on the German government to reassess its support for nature conservation projects in light of the reports. German tour operators and investors are also urged to review their activities in Tanzania.
The organizations point to the strong criticism from the Maasai International Solidarity Alliance (MISA), of which STP and FIAN are members: According to MISA, the commission reports are neither independent nor credible. Instead of seriously incorporating the perspectives of the affected population, they reproduce familiar narratives intended to justify evictions. In particular, the Maasai’s centuries-long coexistence with nature is portrayed in a distorted manner, while the negative impacts of the growing tourism infrastructure are systematically ignored. At the same time, parts of the reports confirm that the resettlements taking place since 2021 are not voluntary. Restrictions on access to grazing land, healthcare, and social infrastructure are placing the affected communities under massive pressure. This clearly contradicts the principle of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) enshrined in international law.
Against this backdrop, the STP and FIAN expressly call on German stakeholders to condemn the Tanzanian government’s human rights violations and to review their own activities. “The German government must clearly advocate for the rights of the Maasai vis-à-vis the government in Tanzania. Human rights must not take a back seat to the economic interests of international actors,” the organizations state. They call on the German government, organizations such as the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZG), and German tour operators to freeze their nature conservation and tourism activities in the Serengeti ecosystem until it is ensured that the involuntary resettlements are brought to an end. “Public funds and development cooperation programs must not support structures and institutions that contribute to displacement, the restriction of livelihoods, or repression. Protected areas must not be managed at the expense of indigenous rights,” the organizations emphasize.
The presidential commissions were established in 2024 following massive protests by the Maasai and analyzed, among other things, the mass evictions from Loliondo in 2022. The findings were supposed to have been published nearly a year ago. To date, the documents remain inaccessible to the public. The findings were communicated only verbally.
For further inquiries, please contact:
Laura Mahler, Advisor for Sub-Saharan Africa at STP, at l.mahler@gfbv.de or 03051 / 695825-3.
Roman Herre, Agriculture Officer at FIAN Germany, at r.herre@fian.de or 0221-47449113.
This press release was translated from German to English using AI. If you come across errors or ambiguities, please contact us at 65]G378o6DD6CA.