""TAWA has taken our animals, auctioned them, leaving mothers without milk and children starving. We ask only to live in peace on our land," said 37-year-old Nesikar Daudi from Engaresero in northern Tanzania. "We were never consulted about turning Lake Natron into a game reserve," Daudi said. "This land is where our livestock graze without it, our families cannot survive.""
"A 2024 report by Human Rights Watch revealed some of the consequences of a plan from the Tanzanian government to relocate the Maasai from their ancestral lands in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in northern Tanzania. To justify evictions, officials frequently accuse the Maasai of poaching and degradation, pointing to population growth and livestock numbers charges communities reject as false excuses designed to delegitimize their presence."
"Hundreds of Maasai gathered in Ngorongoro on August 18, 2024, for a three-day demonstration. "This land belongs to us. It was taken from us through illegal means," said human rights lawyer Joseph Oleshangay, who speaks for hundreds of thousands of Maasai who say their ancestral ranges are vanishing across northern Tanzania's safari heartland. The region contributed to over half of the country's 1.57 billion ($1.85 billion) 2023 tourism revenue, according to government figures."
The Maasai have grazed livestock around Lake Natron and across northern Tanzania for generations. Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority rangers are accused of confiscating cattle, charging unofficial fees and enforcing restrictions that undermine Maasai survival. Maasai families report auctioned animals, loss of milk, and rising hunger. A 2024 Human Rights Watch report documents plans to relocate Maasai from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and details consequences for communities. Officials commonly cite poaching, degradation, population growth and livestock numbers to justify evictions, claims that communities reject as false and delegitimizing. Since 2022, authorities have increased so-called "voluntary relocations," prompting large demonstrations.
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