Tanzania must stop forced evictions of Maasai: UN watchdog

Members of the Maasai community, dressed in traditional clothing, participate in the Maasai Age-Set Ceremony held in the Rift Valley region in the Kajiado region of northern Kenya on April 19, 2026. [AFP]

Tanzania must halt forced evictions of Maasai Indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands and address reported abuses by law enforcement, a United Nations watchdog said Friday.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) voiced alarm at longstanding reported violations, including relocations, as well as restrictions on access to ancestral lands and natural resources.

It said Maasai opposing evictions and relocations had repeatedly faced arbitrary arrests and detention, reprisals, intimidation and harassment.

The committee also cited reports of racial profiling and racially-motivated excessive use of force by law enforcement officials.

"Restrictions on access to grazing areas, water sources and cultural sites, together with the reduction or deterioration in the provision of health care, education, water and other essential services in the Ngorongoro conservation area, have adversely affected their enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights and pressured them to relocate from their ancestral lands," CERD said in a statement.

Tanzania has historically allowed indigenous communities such as the Maasai to live within some national parks, including Ngorongoro, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

But the authorities say their growing population is encroaching on wildlife habitat and began moving the pastoralists out of Ngorongoro in 2022, calling it a voluntary relocation.

Since 1959, the number of people living in Ngorongoro has shot up from 8,000 to more than 100,000.

As climate change leads to prolonged droughts and low crop yields, pressure on the pastoralists has increased, forcing them into conflict with wildlife over access to food and water.

CERD, a committee of 18 independent rights experts, monitors adherence to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by its 182 states parties.

Under the convention, which came into force in 1969, countries must eliminate racial discrimination, eradicate practices of segregation and guarantee equality before the law.

CERD's opinions and recommendations are non-binding but carry reputational weight.

The committee called on Tanzania to stop forced evictions immediately and said where they cannot be avoided, those affected should be given adequate alternative housing and compensation.

It said Tanzania should guarantee that any conservation, tourism or development affecting the Maasai should only be done after meaningful consultation, seeking their informed consent.

CERD asked Tanzania to ensure they enjoy their rights "without discrimination, including their rights to equality before the law and to effective participation in decisions affecting them".