Resolution on the Maasai Communities in Tanzania

The European Parliament adopted by 493 votes to 29, with 17 abstentions, a resolution on the Maasai Communities in Tanzania.

The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, ECR, The Left groups and Members.

The Maasai communities are facing evictions from their land in the Ngorongoro District, which includes the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Loliondo Area. As a reminder, in June 2022, the Tanzanian authorities began converting 1 500 km2 of land in Loliondo into a game reserve, leading to widespread evictions and depriving over 70 000 people of access to grazing land critical for their livestock’s health and their livelihoods. In the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the government has restricted access to vital services such as food, education, water and healthcare, forcing the departure of many Maasai communities.

The Tanzanian Government is urged to immediately halt the forcible evictions of Maasai communities, to avoid any measures that will negatively impact the lives, livelihoods and cultures of these communities, to guarantee their safe return and uphold their right of access to justice and effective remedies for victims.

Moreover, Parliament called on the Commission to:

- increase its development cooperation and humanitarian aid allocations for Tanzania, given that no aid had initially been planned in support of the Maasai;

- report to Parliament on EU budget support programmes and other initiatives in Tanzania, with particular attention to projects dealing with biodiversity loss and climate change and to the built-in human rights safeguards.