GENEVA - Tanzania must immediately halt forced evictions of Maasai Indigenous Peoples from their ancestral lands in Ngorongoro and Loliondo, and address reported law enforcement abuses, including arbitrary arrests and excessive use of force, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) said today.
Acting under its Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedure, the Committee expressed alarm at longstanding reported violations, including forced evictions and relocations, as well as restrictions on access to ancestral lands, territories and natural resources.
The Committee expressed deep concern over reports that plans and measures aimed at expanding conservation and tourism projects have resulted in the displacement and relocation of large numbers of Maasai Indigenous Peoples from their ancestral lands in Ngorongoro and Loliondo without adequate and meaningful consultation and without their free, prior and informed consent.
It was gravely concerned about reports that Maasai Indigenous Peoples opposing evictions and relocations have repeatedly faced arbitrary arrests and detention, reprisals, intimidation and harassment. The Committee also cited reports of racial profiling and racially motivated excessive use of force by law enforcement officials.
"Restrictions on access to grazing areas, water sources and cultural sites, together with the reduction or deterioration in the provision of health care, education, water and other essential services in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, have adversely affected their enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights and pressured them to relocate from their ancestral lands," the Committee said.
The Committee also highlighted hate speech and stigmatisation against Maasai Indigenous Peoples, including portrayals of them as obstacles to conservation and development in Tanzania. Furthermore, human rights defenders, members of civil society organisations, activists, lawyers and journalists working to promote the rights of Maasai Indigenous Peoples have allegedly faced intimidation, harassment and reprisals in connection with their human rights work, it said.
The Committee called upon Tanzania to immediately stop forced evictions of Maasai Indigenous Peoples from their ancestral lands and territories in Ngorongoro, Loliondo and other affected areas. Where forced evictions cannot be avoided, it said, affected families and individuals should be provided with adequate alternative housing and compensation, and should have access to effective remedies.
It also called on Tanzania to guarantee that any conservation, tourism, infrastructure, development or relocation initiative affecting Maasai Indigenous Peoples is undertaken only after meaningful consultations and with a view to obtaining their free, prior and informed consent.
The Committee asked the State Party to "ensure that the Maasai Indigenous Peoples enjoy their rights without discrimination, including their rights to equality before the law and to effective participation in decisions affecting them."
It urged Tanzania to restore and improve access to essential services, including education, health care, water and sanitation, to refrain from restricting such services to induce relocation and to ensure access to grazing lands in areas inhabited by Maasai Indigenous Peoples.
It also said Tanzania should ensure accountability and end impunity, including by conducting effective, thorough and impartial investigations into all reports of human rights abuses and violations against Maasai Indigenous Peoples. The Committee also urged Tanzania to ensure a safe environment for human rights defenders, civil society organizations, activists, lawyers and journalists working to promote their rights.
The Committee further urged Tanzania to publish without delay the findings and recommendations of the two presidential commissions established in February 2025 to examine land use, relocation and conservation policies in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and to ensure the meaningful participation of Maasai Indigenous Peoples in decisions concerning the area's future.
The full statement is now available online.
