African Initiatives has just received this update from our Tanzanian partner, the Pastoral Women's Council (PWC), regarding local pastoralist's land dispute with Tanzanian Conservation Ltd (TCL) which has the same ownership as US based company Thomson Safari.
"Just now the DC [District Commissioner] is harassing Maanda and Melau (PWC staff) and has locked up 5 men for 'trespassing' on the [Thomson Safaris/TCL] farm where they were grazing livestock but you can't trespass on disputed land. The men are still in prison, they were imprisoned on Friday as the DC is 'making an example of them'. They are due in court tomorrow but no one wants to be accountable for locking them up. The DC won't appear so the police won't appear. Shilinde (Advocate) is in Loliondo with 2 journalists to try and expose the DC for what he is doing. The DC has threatened to de-register PWC as he claims we send the men to the [Thomson/TCL] farm to 'intimidate Thomson tourists'. The DC also threatened to lock up Maanda and Melau but nothing has come of this.
Melau spoke to the DC and he has somewhat relented from his initial state of confrontation. Last news is that more Maasai have taken their cattle to graze in the disputed area in retaliation of the DC's action, without, and I emphasize, any encouragement from PWC. Thomson's new manager, John, seems very reasonable and perplexed by all the recent goings on. The same men were arrested last week and he called to have them released but then they were of course re-arrested this time without bail. As of yet we still await the court case."
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