UN Urges Tanzania to End Maasai Evictions and Protect Ancestral Land Rights

Concerns extend beyond land access and relocation, with CERD pointing to reports that Maasai people opposing evictions have faced arbitrary arrest and detention, harassment, intimidation and reprisals.

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has called on Tanzania to immediately stop forced evictions of Maasai Indigenous Peoples from their ancestral lands in Ngorongoro, Loliondo and other affected areas, raising serious concerns about displacement, restrictions on traditional lands and reported abuses against communities resisting relocation. Acting through its Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedure, the Committee said conservation and tourism expansion must not come at the cost of Indigenous rights, particularly when communities have not been meaningfully consulted or allowed to provide their free, prior and informed consent.

Conservation and Tourism Plans Put Maasai Communities Under Growing Pressure

At the centre of the UN Committee's concerns are conservation and tourism projects that have reportedly displaced or relocated large numbers of Maasai families from lands that have supported their communities, livestock, traditions and cultural identity across generations. CERD said restrictions on access to grazing areas, water sources, cultural sites and natural resources have placed additional pressure on residents, while reduced or deteriorating access to health care, education, water and other essential services in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area has affected economic, social and cultural rights and may have pushed people towards relocation.

The Committee stressed that projects involving conservation, tourism, infrastructure, development or relocation should proceed only after meaningful consultation with affected Maasai communities and with a view to obtaining their free, prior and informed consent. It called on Tanzania to protect equal treatment before the law and ensure Maasai people can participate effectively in decisions shaping their land, livelihoods and future, rather than being left outside processes that can permanently change their communities.

Reports of Arrests, Intimidation and Excessive Force Raise Alarm

Concerns extend beyond land access and relocation, with CERD pointing to reports that Maasai people opposing evictions have faced arbitrary arrest and detention, harassment, intimidation and reprisals. The Committee also cited allegations of racial profiling and racially motivated excessive use of force by law enforcement officials, calling for effective, thorough and impartial investigations into reported violations so those responsible can be held accountable and affected people can access meaningful remedies.

Human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, activists and civil society organisations supporting Maasai rights have reportedly experienced intimidation, harassment and reprisals connected with their work. CERD urged Tanzanian authorities to create a safe environment where people can document alleged abuses, represent affected communities, report developments and advocate for Indigenous rights without fearing punishment or interference. The Committee also highlighted hate speech and stigmatisation portraying Maasai communities as barriers to conservation and development, warning against narratives that undermine their rights or deepen discrimination.

UN Calls for Services, Grazing Access and Community Participation to Be Restored

CERD urged Tanzania to restore and improve access to education, health care, clean water, sanitation and other essential services in Maasai areas, while ensuring these services are never restricted as a way of encouraging people to leave their homes. Access to grazing lands is particularly important for communities whose livelihoods and cultural practices are closely connected with livestock and ancestral territory, making restrictions on these areas far more than a question of land management.

The Committee called for an immediate end to forced evictions in Ngorongoro, Loliondo and other affected areas. In circumstances where an eviction cannot be avoided, affected families and individuals should receive adequate alternative housing, compensation and access to effective remedies. CERD also pressed Tanzania to publish the findings and recommendations of two presidential commissions established in February 2025 to examine land use, relocation and conservation policies in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, while ensuring Maasai communities have meaningful involvement in decisions about what happens next.

The UN intervention places renewed attention on a central question surrounding conservation and development in Tanzania: whether environmental protection and tourism expansion can move forward while respecting the people whose lives, livelihoods and cultural heritage are deeply connected to these landscapes. CERD's message is that Maasai communities must be treated as participants in decisions about their ancestral territories, with their rights, safety and voices protected throughout the process.