A UN committee on Friday warned that the indigenous Maasai people in Tanzania are facing forced evictions and abuse by security forces, raising alarms about an escalation Human rights violations.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination urged Tanzania should “immediately stop the forced displacement of the indigenous Maasai peoples from their ancestral lands and territories in Ngorongoro, Loliondo region and other affected areas and ensure that this occurs in a timely manner.” Eviction cannot be avoided, that appropriate alternative accommodation and compensation are made available to the families and individuals affected and that effective legal remedies are available to those affected in the event of eviction in all cases.”
Tanzania must comply with its obligations under international law, in particular those arising from Articles 2, 4, 5 and 6 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) to which it is a party, and guarantee that the Maasai indigenous peoples can fully exercise their rights without discrimination. This includes ensuring their equal protection before the law and their meaningful participation in decisions that affect them.
The UN committee called on Tanzania to immediately publish the findings and recommendations of the presidential commissions established in February 2025 and to ensure transparency and the meaningful involvement of Maasai indigenous peoples in all decisions on the future of the Ngorongoro Protected Area. In addition, it requested the State to provide, in its combined seventeenth and eighteenth periodic reports, full details of the steps taken to implement the recommendations set out in this statement, including updates on the Maasai situation. These reports are overdue since November 26, 2007 and should be submitted immediately.
The Maasai are an indigenous, semi-nomadic Nilotic ethnic group whose ancestral homeland extends across the vast savannahs of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They migrated from the Upper Nile Valley centuries ago and their culture, economy and spiritual life revolve almost entirely around semi-nomadic pastoralism and the deep reverence they have for their livestock.
They are immediately recognizable by their bright red clothing ShukasThey are characterized by elaborate beadwork and a rich oral tradition and are also known for an egalitarian social structure organized by age groups. defiance towards historical land displacement Because of colonial treaties and modern wildlife conservation policies, the Maasai continue to protect and advocate for their traditional grazing rights and enduring cultural identity.
The ongoing oppression of the Maasai people stems from a deep-rooted conflict between state-controlled commercial interests, colonial-era conservation efforts and indigenous land rights. They have faced similar patterns of violence in the past, being seriously injured by Tanzanian soldiers and forcibly displaced despite conflict 2018 East African Court judgment banned the country from depriving them of their land.
