Regional court dismisses Maasai eviction case against Tanzania government

1/10/2022 6:24

        A regional court on Friday dismissed a case brought by a group of Maasai villagers claiming the Tanzanian government used violence to evict them
        from their ancestral lands in the north of the country.
        
        Rights groups said the ruling sent a dangerous message that indigenous peoples can be evicted from their land in the name of conservation.
        
        The government said four Maasai villages are located within the boundaries of the Serengeti National Park, which was originally demarcated under British military rule for gaming but redrawn for conservation by subsequent administrations.
        
        The land disputes between the Maasai villagers and the national park management emerged in 2012 but later in 2017 the government ordered the residents to leave and security forces later evicted them by force.